


Single Parents

by BatuuPrincess



Series: Single Parents 'Verse [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Accidental Pregnancy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BB-8 is a child, DO is a child, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Mutual Pining, Single mom!Rey, revenge porn, single dad!poe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:33:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 57,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23772358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatuuPrincess/pseuds/BatuuPrincess
Summary: Rey Kenobi (Not-Solo) is simply trying her best to raise her son, Deacon, as a newly single mom. When a schoolyard altercation sends Rey rushing to Yavin Elementary, she runs headlong into Poe Dameron, a fellow single parent and father of her son's new best friend, Bea. While the two initially clash, neither can deny the mounting attraction as they spend more and more time together. When Poe asks Rey to sit for a painting, the tension boils over, changing their growing relationship forever.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Series: Single Parents 'Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985374
Comments: 805
Kudos: 388





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I will fully admit that this was supposed to be a smutty one-shot that was conceived on sinful sunday in the discord. Unfortunately, because I'm me, it became a full fic. It's a cross somewhere between a Hallmark Original Movie and porn with plot (so maybe a Lifetime Original Movie?), and I really hope you enjoy. This first chapter is fairly introductory, but things get cracking pretty quickly. With a little luck, I'm hoping to update this twice a week, days to be determined. Thanks for reading!

Rey practically sprinted up the three steps into Yavin Elementary, heart thundering in her chest as she wrenched open the front door. It was the worst call you could get on Wednesday afternoon. Or really any afternoon. _Mrs. Solo, your son has been hurt. Please come to the school immediately._ She was too flustered to even correct the school secretary. She was not Mrs. Solo anymore.

And here she had been three clicks away from uploading her first dating profile, well ever. The last time she’d dated anyone, she’d been in college and all you had to do was show up at a bar half-dressed and things went from there. Now, there were profiles and apps and swiping, the entire process complicated and overwhelming. This was a sign. She’d just have to tell Rose that now was not the time, that her son needed her more than ever with the divorce looming large. 

She strode into the main office just as Deacon was leaving Principal Akbar’s office. Well that was a good sign, at least Holdo wasn’t involved...

“Mrs. Solo, there you are,” came Vice Principal Holdo’s voice from behind her. Almost as if Rey had summoned the woman from the pits of hell with only her thoughts. 

Rey slapped a smile on her face, very glad that she’d managed to do her hair and makeup this morning, not to mention taken the time to put on the pearl earrings and necklace Ben had given her for their fifth anniversary. The year he had to “work late” and missed dinner. “Ms. Holdo, lovely to see you. And it’s actually Ms. Kenobi, now.”

“Right. I heard about you and your husband. Such a shame. You know, that could very well be the reason Deacon acted out today.”

Rey closed her eyes, willing herself not to go old school Jakku on this woman. It would be satisfying for sure, but Rey wasn’t that girl anymore. She reminded herself. Forcefully.

“Thank you for your concern, but I think I’d like to hear what happened from my son,” she said in her very best Yavin mom voice. The one she’d practiced for years.

“Of course, of course.” Holdo nodded, a (fake) sympathetic smile on her face. “We can all chat later.”

Rey couldn’t wait.

But that was the furthest thing from her mind when she caught sight of Deacon looking so lost and small in one of the chairs outside Ackbar’s office, an equally small red-headed girl next to him.

“Oh sweetheart, what happened?” she asked, kneeling in front of him. He didn’t appear hurt, though the knees of his silly little dress pants did look a little scuffed and his bowtie was askew. 

“Kyle was being mean to Bea, so I told him to stop and he pushed me down.”

Ugh, Kyle Ren the third. What a little shit. 

Rey gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Oh honey, that was very nice of you to defend your friend, but who is Bea?”

Yavin was a small town, and Rey had made it a point to be Very Involved from day one. She didn’t need the rest of the moms looking down on her because she was young or god forbid someone found out where she grew up. So she befriended them, joined the PTA, became a room parent, anything and everything to get her in with the mom crowd. And it worked. She was one of them, no questions asked. And she tried to tell herself that the name “Solo” had nothing to do with it.

But Bea was a new name, someone who hadn’t been in kindergarten with Deacon last year. It was rare to get transfers in, even in first grade.

“I’m Bea,” answered the little redhead next to him. She was adorable, all cherub cheeks and skinny knees poking out of a sweet sky blue dress. “And don’t worry, I punched him.”

Rey felt her eyes go wide, looking over Deacon for any signs of violence.

“Not Deacon, Kyle. I punched Kyle for pushing Deacon down.”

Rey wasn’t really sure what to say about that. “Oh, well I can’t say punching someone is good, but I suppose a thank you is in order.”

“No problem,” said little Bea, sounding for all the world like a 30-year old. “I take pride in defending the little guy.”

Rey snorted, wondering who in the world could have raised this child, when someone called her name.

“Beatrice Dameron, what the hell?”

Rey turned at the gruff voice, finding an even gruffer man walking toward them.

On the shorter side, he was dressed in a sweatshirt and track jacket, his dark curls rumpled like he’d just woken up. In fact, all of him looked like he’d just woken up, crumpled and messy with a day’s growth on his face and sleepy, hooded eyes. Nothing at all like the polished husbands around town. They must be new.

“We’ve been here a week, and I’m already getting a call. What’s going on?” he asked, crouching down so he was at Bea’s eye level.

Bea sighed the hearty sigh of a jaded millennial. “Kyle was teasing me about my red hair, so Deacon came to my rescue. That’s when Kyle pushed Deacon down and tried to rip off his tie, so I decked Kyle. Twice.” 

The man next to her looked exasperated for all of one second before bursting out laughing. “You really are going to be the death of me. Come on, let’s see if we can keep you from getting expelled.”

He stood up, seeming to notice Rey staring at him wide eyed and open mouthed for the first time. A fairly dazzling smile spread across his face. “I’m Poe, Poe Dameron. Bea’s dad.” 

Rey looked at his outstretched hand for a second - covered in dried paint - before taking it gingerly. “I know.” She blinked, realizing how icy she sounded. “I mean, I gathered as much. I’m Rey, Deacon’s mother.”

“Nice to meet you, Rey.”

She wished she could say the same. Instead, she couldn’t stop her mouth before blurting, “You know, you really shouldn’t encourage violence in children.”

Poe’s brows shot up, the amiable expression sliding off his face. “And you should really mind your own business and keep track of your own kid,” he shot back.

“My _kid_ as you call him, isn’t going around punching people!”

“Well, maybe if he was, Bea wouldn’t have to defend him!”

They were yelling, actually yelling, in the middle of the main office, drawing stares from all the office aides and counselors alike. And for once she didn’t care. How dare this scruffy, obstinate, difficult man waltz in here with his daughter and drag her and her son into a schoolyard brawl. 

Rey was gearing up to say something truly searing when Deacon piped in.

“I’m a hugger, not a fighter, Mr. Dameron. Everyone knows that.”

For his part, Poe snorted a laugh, that easy smile immediately coming to face. “Me too, kid. Me, too.” He offered Deacon a fist bump, which he readily accepted.

Principal Akbar chose that moment to poke his head out. “Uh, Mr. Dameron, Mrs. Solo, if we could take this into my office, please.”

Rey’s face heated at both the name and the gentle admonishment. She couldn’t believe she’d worked so hard and come so far, only to let herself be dragged into a shouting match in the middle of the office. Like her ex used to say, you can take the girl out of Jakku…

But Mr. Akbar was speaking, and now was not the time to worry about her and Ben’s latest fight.

“Mrs. Solo--”

“It’s actually not Solo anymore. I go by Ms. Kenobi, now,” she gently corrected him. 

“Right, Ms. Kenobi, as you well know we have a very firm policy on fighting. And Mr. Dameron, you and Bea may be new here, but the rules do still apply. And I’m afraid they are quite clear. Both children should be suspend--”

This time, they both interrupted.

“That’s not fair, Deacon didn’t--”

“Bea was only defending--”

Akbar put up his hands to stop them.

“Both children _should_ be suspended, but it is my understanding there were some extenuating circumstances here. And no less than ten children came forward to say that the young Mr. Ren started it. So, because both children are so young and the year is so new, I’ve decided to let you all go with a warning.”

Rey breathed a sigh of relief. She certainly did not need Ben bringing this up at the next hearing. 

“But,” continued Akbar, his grandfatherly face serious. “If either student is caught fighting again - for any reason - my hands will be tied.”

“Thank you, Mr. Akbar,” said Rey, her relief palpable. “I assure you, you’ll get no more trouble out of Deacon.”

She shot a sideways glance at Mr. Dameron. 

“Same for Bea,” he said, seeming to get the gravity of the situation. “No trouble here, promise.”

“Excellent, I’m glad we’re all on the same page.” He paused, folding his hands on his desk. “Now, let’s all go and put our best feet forward.”

She got to her feet, wanting nothing more than to put this entire day, especially the man next to her, behind her.

Wait, that’s not what she… oh nevermind. With heated cheeks, she grabbed her son and hightailed it out of there.

________

Christ, that woman had a stick so far up her ass…

Poe shook his head. He knew what he was getting into when he decided to move them to the ‘burbs, or so he thought. But Yavin was a lot different than what he remembered growing up. 

The Yavin he’d grown up in had been a fun, sleepy town, a good place to retire or raise a family. But now, it had become some “Premier Suburb” as they touted on the pamphlets, home to the best public school system in the state and apparently a league of stepford wives.

Though none more than Mrs. Not-Solo. Good god, he’d never met a woman more in need of a valium and a good fuck. It was a shame, too. She was gorgeous, with those wide hazel eyes and freckle-dusted skin. The kind of beauty and bone structure that had his fingers itching to paint her. He chuckled to himself. There was zero way a woman like that would agree to pose for him.

“Dad?” came Bea’s voice from the backseat. Having not owned a car for over 10 years, he’d been shocked to learn that a kid her age still needed a booster seat. Thank god his dad was on top of things.

“Yeah kiddo?”

“Do you think Deacon can come over this weekend?”

Poe cringed. The thought of a whole day with stepford mom made him want to turn the car around and drive straight back to their loft in Coruscant. But he was better than that. “Well, I can call his mom and see.” 

That sounded noncommittal, but it seemed to pacify her enough to say, “Ok.” There was a pause. “Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we get ice cream?”

Poe laughed. “Bea, you almost just got suspended for fighting.”

“Yeah, but Kyle started it.”

She had a point there. Not that he could admit it. “Listen, it doesn’t matter who started it. We use words, not fists. You know better.”

“I know,” she answered, her little head drooping in the rearview mirror.

He was a pushover, he knew he was, but he couldn’t stand seeing his little girl unhappy. Even if she did almost get suspended one week into a brand new school for punching a bully. Twice. “How about we eat whatever Grandpa made for dinner, and then we talk about ice cream?”

That perked her right up. “Ok!”

Poe shook his head. This little girl was going to be the death of him.

Poe helped his dad clear the kitchen table, feeling for all the world like he was seventeen again. The exception being that it was now his daughter at the dining room table working on her homework and not Poe himself.

It was so strange being back, living in his childhood home again after so many years. A little too strange if you asked him. But Kes had been insistent. They’d stay with him while looking for a permanent place of their own. Yavin was a tight market, and Bea starting mid-year after they found a place was simply not an option. So here they were.

Though, living with his dad certainly had its perks. Like the free child care while he worked. And the home cooked meal they were currently cleaning up. 

Now, Poe had always made sure Bea had a balanced diet. She ate her vegetables, took her vitamins, and only had ice cream _after_ dinner. But as his work heated up over the past few years, they had enjoyed take out a little more often than he cared to admit. So his dad’s cooking was a godsend. A girl could not survive on pepperoni pizza alone. And neither could Poe.

“So, one week and our girl’s already getting suspended,” said Kes, a smile in his voice. “You two sure know how to make an impression.”

“Hey, she _almost_ got suspended, remember the almost, and don’t forget we also made a friend.” He gave his dad a theatrical eye roll. Kes chuckled in response.

“Well, we all knew you had that effect on people.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault Mrs. Not-Solo was not happy with us.”

Kes gave him a level look. “You shouldn't call her that. You know the Solos are a big name around here, and from what I remember that son is a piece of work. Sounds like a nasty divorce.”

Of course Poe knew the Solos, how could you not growing up here? They were the first family of Yavin, the mother something big in politics (A senator? The governor? He honestly couldn’t remember) and the father running a shipping conglomerate that had been in the family for generations. Poe had been a few grades ahead of the son, Ben Solo, all through school, so he knew first hand what a little shit he was.

“Whatever,” said Poe, waving off his father. “She made her choices in life, and they obviously involved gold digging so…”

“Poe! That’s rude. I raised you better than that.” Kes lowered his voice. “And maybe you want to watch what you say when impressionable young ears are around.” They both looked to the dining room where Bea was humming to herself, none the wiser. 

Poe breathed a sigh of relief. His dad was right, he shouldn’t say shit like that around Bea. “I know, I know. That woman just…” he trailed off, giving a little growl in the back of his throat. 

“I’ve seen her around town. She’s very pretty,” added Kes, lightly.

Poe gave his father a blank stare. “Have you been listening to a word I said for the last hour?” And Poe decided not to think about the way that he had been talking about Rey Not-Solo for an hour. “She honestly insinuated that I was encouraging Bea to fight. No, not insinuated, she outright accused me.”

His dad’s brows shot up. “Well, did you?”

“That’s besides the point.”

Kes only sighed.

Poe was saved from shooting off his mouth by Bea entering the kitchen. 

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, kiddo?” 

“Did you call Deacon’s mom yet?” she asked, the very picture of innocence. 

Poe sighed internally, even as his dad chuckled behind him. “Not yet.”

“Ok, but are you going to?”

Her little voice was so hopeful, Poe couldn’t help but say, “Of course.”

“Thanks, Daddy!” said Bea, coming forward to give him a quick squeeze before disappearing back into the house.

Kes chuckled, giving Poe a good natured slap on the back. 

“What?” he asked, playing dumb. They both knew full well how much that girl had him wrapped around her finger. And Kes was no better.

But his dad simply smirked at him. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A playdate provides a peek into Poe and Rey's respective lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a second chapter! I am having such a fun time writing this one that the words are practically flying onto the page. That being said, since Tatooine Suns finished, I'll be updating this one on Mondays/Wednesdays, with Duel on Thursdays (and maybe Tuesdays?). I also updated the tags since I have a better idea of where this is going now. While it won't be my slowest burn, I've stretched it out a bit for maximum fun. I hope you enjoy!

Rey couldn’t believe she had actually agreed to this.

The call had come the same night as what she now referred to as The Incident, the phone ringing when she was elbows deep in dinner dishes.

_ “Deacon, can you grab that for me?” she called out, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn bit of melted cheese. _

_ The phone rang a second time. _

_ “Aw, do I have to? I’m right in the middle of something.” _

_ Rey tried not to laugh. How many times had she or Ben said that over the years? Monkey see, monkey do. But she could fix it with two words. _

_ “Deacon Oliver!” _

_ “All right, all right,” he said, “No need to double name me!”  _

_ She smiled to herself as the phone stopped its incessant ringing a second later. _

_ “Solo residence, Deacon speaking.” A pause, and then, “MOM! IT’S FOR YOU!” _

_ He appeared at her hip a second later trying to push the phone into her dripping hands.  _

_ “Deacon, what are you-- Hold on a second my hands are wet.” There was a bunch of shifting until she got the handset tucked between her ear and shoulder. “This is Rey.” _

_ A throat on the other end cleared. “Uh, Rey? This is Poe. Bea’s dad,” he added for clarification. As if she could forget him. “And uh, Bea and I were wondering if you and Deacon wanted to hang out this weekend.” _

_ Rey rolled her eyes. “You mean like a playdate?” Of course the cool dad wanted to make it sound like they were just hanging out. _

_ “Yeah, a playdate,” he answered, like the word was foreign or new to him. _

_ The refusal was on the tip of her tongue. Though Bea seemed sweet, if a little precocious, she would be happy if she never had to face Poe Dameron again. _

_ But of course Deacon was by her side, tugging on her shirt and just about vibrating out of his skin in excitement. “Please, Mom?” Oh no, not the puppy dog eyes, anything but the puppy dog eyes… _

_ Rey sighed. “Sure. How about Saturday at 1. The nice playground on Elm?” Over her dead body would she entertain that man at her house. _

_ “Elm, Elm, you know what I’ll google it. It’s a date.” There was a pause and Rey grimaced. “A playdate,” he added, obviously very proud of using his new word in a sentence. _

_ “Right,” she said, not finding him amusing at all. “See you then.” She clicked off without further ado, turning toward Deacon’s prolonged celebration dance.  _

_ The things she did for that kid. _

And she was regretting it even more now as they pulled into the playground five minutes late.

Oh how she hated being late, especially with someone like Poe Dameron as witness. 

“Come on,” she said, hustling Deacon out of the car. 

As soon as they were on the grass, he took off running, Rey spotting Bea’s flaming red hair on the other end of the playground.

“I was worried you guys were standing us up,” said Poe, standing up from the bench he’d been sitting on. He smiled at her, obviously assuming he was being funny, so Rey reminded herself not to snap just because he hit a nerve.

He looked just as scruffy as the first time they’d met, same rumpled jacket, though this time he had on a t-shirt from a band she’d never heard of, the fit so tight she swore she could see the outline of his abs underneath. Not that she was looking or anything.

“Sorry about that,” she said, trying to distract herself from openly staring. “We had a bit of a meltdown and it put us behind.”

Poe nodded, all easy camaraderie. “I hear ya. It’s that age, right?”

She had no clue why she answered honestly, especially when he gave her the perfect out right there. Maybe she just needed another adult to talk to. Maybe she was finally losing her mind. But either way, she found herself saying so quietly Poe probably couldn’t even hear her, “It wasn’t Deacon,” before dropping onto the bench.

Poe took a few seconds to digest that before sitting down next to her.

“Uh, do you want to talk about it?” he asked, sounding a little unsure of whether or not he actually wanted to hear it.

Rey barked out a bitter laugh, wrapping her jacket more tightly around her. It was a pretty coat, yet another gift from Ben. Why was it that everything nice she owned was a gift from Ben for some transgression? This was from a year he forgot her birthday. 

“I don’t know why I said that. It’s not like we’re friends,” she snapped, regretting it immediately.

Poe crossed his arms, leaning back on the bench with a sigh. “Forgive me, I forgot for a second there. Won’t make that mistake again.”

Guilt shot through her. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, turning toward him on the bench. She hugged her purse closer to her body. “It’s not an excuse, but my ex called this morning to tell me that he couldn’t take Deacon camping next weekend like he’d promised a month ago because ‘something came up.’ Which is Ben-speak for ‘fucking my secretary.’” Rey was a little shocked to find Poe’s attention firmly on her, blinking under the sudden scrutiny. “And because Ben is first and foremost a coward, I now have to be the one to break Deacon’s heart.”

She let her gaze track to her son, laughing as he chased Bea across one of the little bridges. Rey winced at the healthy sliver of ankle he was once again showing. She’d just bought those pants and they were already floods. If this kid didn’t stop growing, she was gonna go bankrupt.

Oh well, just another thing she’d have to ask the Solos for. Put it on her tab.

Poe seemed to be a little too quiet next to her, and Rey couldn’t bring herself to look at what would surely be a look of pity on his face. Now that she’d aired all of her dirty laundry, he fully understood what a cliché she was.

But Poe Dameron, it seemed, was full of surprises.

“What if Deacon came over next weekend?” Rey turned at the ease in his tone. Like they hadn’t just been bickering five seconds ago. “We can do a whole backyard camp out. Bonfire, s’mores, tents, the whole lot.”

“You’d do that for him?” She didn’t try to keep the wonder out of her voice.

“Of course. Just because we’re not friends,” he let those words sink in, Rey’s face heating in shame, “doesn’t mean the kids can’t be. And it sounds like Deacon could use a fun night.” 

Rey felt her lip quiver as tears pricked at her eyes, a rush of unexpected emotion. She’d heard about the kindness of strangers, but had never really experienced it herself. Everyone wanted something from her. The exception being her closest friends, of course. But like Poe said, they weren’t friends. He was just a decent man, trying to do something nice for her son.

“Thank you,” she managed to get out, her voice shaky.

Poe looked at her like she was nuts. “No big deal. Bea’s been begging me to do it anyway.”

For a minute, Rey let herself imagine what it would be like being married to a man like that. A man who willingly spent time with his kid, and did things out of the goodness of his heart. It was a pretty picture, but all fantasy. In her experience, men like that didn’t exist. There had to be some fatal flaw to the man sitting next to her, there was no other option in her mind.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of Deacon’s light brown hair as he tried to climb over the very top of the covered slide. Rey was on her feet in an instant. “Deacon Oliver!”

“What?” he shouted back, the picture of innocence. 

Rey shook her head. “Feet on the ground, please. Thank you.”

He smiled and did as she said, adjusting his little bowtie before running off again.

When she turned back to Poe, he was watching her with a strange look on his face. 

“So what time?” she asked, watching as he blinked at her. “For Saturday?”

“Right,” he said, snapping out of whatever that was. “How about 6?”

“That works.” Rey nodded, sitting back down on the bench.

Poe smiled, his eyes doing this crinkle thing in the corners that Rey couldn’t help but admire. “Great. It’s a date.”

_______________

“Dad, it is not a date!” said Poe, as he stirred a pot on the stove. He’d been repeating that same refrain for the hour they’d been back from the park.

But Kes was relentless. “You invited her over for a sleepover.”

“Correction, I invited her son over for a sleepover.” He pointed at him with the wooden spoon. “Rey is still insufferable.”

“Oh, she’s Rey, now. Not ‘that woman?’”

Poe told himself his cheeks were warm because of the stove and the pot and the bubbling liquid within. “I may have misjudged her,” he mumbled, hoping his dad didn’t hear.

But of course Kes had the hearing of a man 20 years his junior. “What was that? I think my ears deceive me.”

The look on her face when he’d made the offer, a simple one in his mind, had been both heartbreaking and eye opening. Ben Solo obviously hadn’t changed a bit.

“I said, I may have misjudged her. She’s not quite as stuck up and perfect as I thought. Honestly, it seems like she’s barely holding it together.”

Kes raised his brows. “Mmmhmmm.”

“What?” 

“Nothing. I said nothing.”

Poe shook his head and focused his attention back on the stove. “Well, can you at least call Bea? Dinner’s ready.”

The evening passed much as any other Saturday, with dinner and movie night and five stories at bedtime. It was 9:30 before Poe was giving Bea’s forehead one final kiss and tiptoeing out of his sleeping daughter’s room, closing the door as quietly as possible behind him.

He took a deep breath. Work time.

It was the never ending struggle, switching his brain from Dad time to work time and back again. Over the years, he’d gotten pretty good at it, but it still took a few minutes to get there.

He headed down the steps, finding his dad on the couch chuckling at a decades old sitcom. 

“You headed out?” Kes asked, hitting mute.

“Out” was the little shed studio Kes had built him back in highschool. Back then, he’d been all about the abstract, relying heavily on spray paint. Brick canvas. That had been the real reason for the shed, to keep his artwork confined inside a building instead of on the side of one. But while his focus and mediums had changed, not to mention the addition of his “day job,” the shed remained the same, even after he went to Coruscant for art school.

Poe nodded. “Yeah, you good in here?”

“Of course,” replied Kes, waving him off. “You know, I’m happy to hang out with Bea if you wanted to keep some more regular hours. Like during the day.”

It had been so long since he’d had regular help, that he’d gotten used to working when Bea went to sleep. Dad time versus work time. Plus, he found that he did some of his best work between the hours of midnight and 2AM. Poe subscribed to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” way of life.

“Nah, I have a good routine going. Work all night, sleep all day. Every artist’s dream.” Granted, sleep had been on short supply with a baby/toddler/energetic six year old to look after all these years. At least now he could cobble together five or so hours with Kes around and Bea in school during the week.

“Suit yourself,” answered Kes, hitting the volume button and turning back to the TV. “Have a good night.”

“You too, Pops.”

And then he was out the back door and into the night air. Thankfully, the weather still seemed to be holding out, warm even for early September. Crickets chirped as he made his way across the lawn to his own personal haven.The studio wasn’t huge, but it was his. 

A desk sat against one wall, the top tilted for the best possible drawing angle, drawers and drawers of supplies lined up on either side. The far wall had an old couch with a sheet over it, for his subjects or occasionally himself if it had been a long day, and his latest canvas stood propped on an easel, beckoning to come closer and finish. But not tonight. Tonight he had three more pages for the latest book to work on, due to the publisher at the end of the week. At least the damn book was written. 

Poe sighed as he sat down at the desk, eying the mostly naked woman on his easel. Her dark skin was splashed across with paint, broad strokes and varied shapes making a kaleidoscope of color across her body. After her, he only needed one more to complete the series, though the showing was only two months away. There was maybe another hour of work left, judging by the photo he was working off. His fingers itched to pick up the brush, but he stopped himself. Deadlines. It would have to wait.

But as he faced the blank pages he needed to make into a land of make believe, he kept seeing one face in particular in his mind’s eye. 

Wide hazel eyes. Freckle-dusted nose. Cheeks and chin just so.

His pencil flew across the paper, and five minutes later Rey’s face stared up at him from the page. From three different angles.

Well, shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Drop me a line and let me know what you think of this one!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The camp out and morning after supplies some additional insight for both Poe and Rey into the other's life. A blind date for Rey, courtesy of Rose, provides an interesting contrast to Poe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, now we're on schedule! This will be updating Mondays/Wednesdays for the foreseeable future. 
> 
> Huge thanks to everyone reading and commenting and leaving kudos. I absolutely love seeing you guys enjoy a story (and let's be honest, it makes me write even faster). Hope you enjoy chapter 3!

The Saturday of the big camp out dawned bright and warm. In her excitement, Bea was up at the ass crack of dawn, attempting to drag Poe out of bed after barely three hours of sleep. He’d been up more than half the night finishing the pages that had technically been due on Friday. Hopefully, his publisher didn’t kill him for being three hours late.

“Five more minutes,” he moaned at Bea’s insistent tugging. Finally, he wrapped an arm around her middle and scooped her into the bed. “It is 6:37. We are going to either sleep or lay quietly until 7:15, understood?”

Knowing the drill, Bea nodded, tucking herself under his arm. She was drooling on his t-shirt in minutes.

Of course, now he was UP, his brain going a mile a minute as he went through all the scenarios for the day. 

Tent was in the garage. All the food, including the supplies necessary for s’mores had been secured. Wood chopped and ready for the fire pit. All he needed was Rey and Deacon.

Of course, Rey wouldn’t be staying. That would be silly. But they had managed to barely snipe at each other during pickup on Thursday, so that was progress. Not that he was trying to make progress with her.

Too bad the fifteen or so sketches in his shed said otherwise.

But he chose not to think of those, especially since nothing had changed. She was just as insufferable as the first day he met her. There was more to her story for sure, but that didn’t mean she had to be a pain in the ass 100% of the time.

Slowly, but surely, his eyes started to fall closed, lulled by thoughts of Rey, when a knock at the door made him jump. Next to him, Bea woke with a start.

His dad didn’t wait for an answer before barging into the room, his voice far too loud for - Poe checked the clock - 7:03AM. “Who wants waffles?”

Bea was up and out of bed in a flash, shouting “ME!” as she raced for the kitchen. 

“Walk!” called Poe after her half-heartedly before collapsing back against the pillows with a groan.

Kes held out a hand. “Come on, up old man.”

Poe laughed.

“Speak for yourself,” he said, but he took the offer of a hand up. His back wasn’t what it used to be these days. And he wasn’t too proud to admit that.

The day passed in a haze of preparation, Kes on food prep, Poe on outdoor construction and arrangement, and Bea, well Bea making sure that every stuffed animal, pillow, and blanket in the house was now in the tent.

“Uh, this is great, kiddo,” he said, surveying the damage. “But where are we supposed to sleep?”

She was saved from answering by the ring of the doorbell, taking off for the house without a second glance.

Poe followed, making it to the door in record time.

“You ready?” he asked Bea, who nodded her head firmly.

So with a flourish wholly unlike him, Poe opened the door.

Bea immediately grabbed Deacon’s hand to drag him into the house, tossing a quick “Hi, Mrs. Solo!” over her shoulder before disappearing into the backyard. 

“It’s Ms…” Rey called after her, losing steam halfway through, “Kenobi.”

“Sorry, I don’t think she quite understands that your last names aren’t the same.”

Rey sighed. “I know. It’s going around these days.”

He wondered what she meant by that, but all thoughts of asking flew out of his head as he properly looked at her for the first time.

She was… breathtaking was probably the word, if a little overdressed for a camp out drop off with her eyes lined in black and her golden brown hair loose and wavy around her shoulders. The light pink dress managed to show off her tiny waist while not being too tight or too short, those long legs ending a pair of heels that put her at least an inch taller than him. Even with a little sweater to cover her arms, she looked amazing.

“What time should I pick him up tomorrow?” she asked, looking at him expectantly.

She was talking. Oh, she was talking _to him_. He should probably answer.

He cleared his throat. “Does one sound okay?”

“Is it ok if I come a little earlier? Like, 12:30? We have this standing dinner at my in-laws,” she paused, automatically correcting herself, “my former in-laws at one.”

“Of course.” Like he’d say no to her.

Rey breathed an audible sigh of relief. “I just want to thank you again for doing this. It absolutely made Deacon’s week, and let me tell you, if I had to cancel this blind date again, my best friend is going to murder me.”

“You’re going on a date?” Poe's heart plummeted to his stomach. So that’s why she was so upset about her ex bailing. Because she had a hot date. Not because of her kid. He was just the free babysitter.

Rey looked down at her dress. “Yeah. Why else would I look like this?” She laughed, the smile slowly dying on her face at his expression.

“Right.”

She looked about to say something when Deacon came running. 

“Mom, you have to see this,” he said, tugging on one of her hands. 

Rey looked to Poe for confirmation that it was ok.

Poe made a motion as if to say “lead the way.”

This was good, he told himself as they walked into the backyard, Rey making appropriate oooh and ahhh noises. A reminder of who she really was. Not the woman he’d unintentionally put on a pedestal after sketching her face a few times, but the self-centered, stuck-up, busy-body he’d met in the principal’s office just a few short weeks ago.

Kes was sitting by the fire, observing the proceedings with a watchful eye as he readied the s’mores. Poe ignored him.

“Mom, Mom, can you stay for a s’more? Pleeeease.”

She didn’t even hesitate, as if trying to prove his earlier thoughts wrong. “If it’s ok with Mr. Dameron.”

Kes and Poe answered at the same time, “Of course.” They all laughed.

It surprised the hell out of him a second later when she plopped into the grass with no regard to that pretty pink dress, accepting a dripping s’more from Deacon and stuffing it into her mouth wholesale.

Poe watched with no little bit of fascination as she proceeded to lick the melted chocolate from her fingers, moving from pointer to middle to...

His dad, meanwhile, was fussing. “Christ, Rey let me get you a chair. And a napkin.” He gave a long look at a still gaping Poe. “Poe? A little help.”

“It’s fine, really, Mr. Dameron,” Rey was saying.

Poe blinked. “Right, I’ll just-” He grabbed one of the old camp chairs scattered around and helped her off the ground. 

“It really is fine, guys. I don’t care about the dress.”

“But what about your date?” asked Kes. “You don’t want to go covered in dirt.”

Rey got to her feet in an instant. “Oh shit, my date.” 

Poe cocked his head. She looked genuinely surprised. Like she completely forgot about the date. Like maybe she didn’t want to go. He found himself thawing a bit in spite of himself. 

“Mo-om, you said a bad word!” 

“No I didn’t, I said ‘shoot,’” she lied easily. Poe hid a laugh. “Come here.” Deacon came running into his mother’s arms. “I wish I could hang out with you guys tonight. You’re gonna have so much fun. You have my cell right?”

“Duh, Mom. It’s in my phone.”

Rey laughed. “Of course. Now, have the best time, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay?”

“Okay!” said Deacon, taking off for the tent without a care in the world. 

Rey blinked back tears, swallowing audibly as she pulled a card from her purse. “Right. Here are all of my numbers, just in case. Don’t feel bad about calling me. For anything. Really.”

Poe accepted the card, the numbers listed in the most perfect print he’d ever seen. “Of course.” He looked up, noticing a smudge of melted chocolate on the corner of her lips. “Oh, you have…” He pointed out the spot on his own face.

“Oh no.” She brought her hand up, missing it by a mile.

Before Poe’s brain caught up with the rest of him, he was thumbing away the smudge with a swipe of his hand. “There. Got it.” And because that brain was apparently out to lunch, he brought that thumb to his own lips and licked the chocolate off. 

Rey blinked. Poe blinked. His face heated while hers turned the color of her dress.

But she smiled as she said, “I should go. Don’t want to be any later.”

“Right. See you tomorrow,” he answered with a pretty lame wave as she walked back toward the front yard, wobbling a little on the uneven grass in those heels. He stood there watching the dress swish back and forth, most definitely  _ not  _ looking at her ass.

His dad clapped him on the back. “Smooth. Real smooth.”

__________________

Rey was sure that Rose’s heart was in the right place. And she was also sure that Beaumont Kin was probably quite a catch. He was smart, good looking, and one of the youngest tenured professors at Yavin U, beaten to the punch only by Rose. 

Too bad she wanted nothing more than for this date to be over.

It wasn’t even Beaumont (call me Beau) Kin’s fault. Not when she was the one who flitted in 10 minutes late, unable to stop thinking about Poe Dameron’s mouth.

She couldn’t even blame herself, what with the way Poe hadn’t thought twice before popping that thumb in his mouth, lips and tongue laving it clean...

And she was doing it again. 

Rey shook herself mentally, trying to focus on whatever the (probably very nice) man in front of her was prattling on about.

“...should totally bring Deagan to the office,” he said, all smiles as he took a sip of wine. 

Rey downed the rest of her glass in one. The first time he’d gotten Deacon’s name wrong it had been cute. He’d obviously been going off memory of something Rose told him. The second time, Rey had been annoyed, but gently corrected him. Again. Now, the fifth time, she couldn’t help but snap, “It’s Deacon.”

Beau blinked in confusion. “What?”

“Deacon. My son’s name is Deacon.”

There was that easy smile again. “Right. Anyway, you should bring  _ Deacon, _ ” he emphasized the name, looking very proud of himself indeed, “to the office and I can show him the artifacts…”

Rey tuned him back out. There was no second date happening here, let alone a trip to the office to meet her kid. This guy thought he was a modern day Indiana Jones. Obviously he’d never seen young Harrison Ford.

Time to cross archeologists off the list.

“More wine?” he asked, noticing her empty glass. He held up the bottle to demonstrate. 

Smartest thing the man had said all night.

Rey handed over her glass. “That would be lovely.” 

The date ended nearly an hour later when Rey expertly side-stepped an attempted kiss with a vigorous handshake.

“It was lovely meeting you,” Rey said, lying through her teeth as Beau blinked at her in confusion. 

Rey blinked right back.

God, he couldn’t actually have thought that had gone well, could he? There was no way. 

“Yes, lovely meeting you,” he replied, struggling to keep that smile on his face. 

A ping from her phone saved her from any further embarrassment. “And that’s my Uber.” She’d never be more grateful she’d had the forethought to not drive herself.

“Are you sure? Offer still stands, I’d be happy to take you home.”

Gag. “Thanks, but he’s already here so…”

“Right. Well, goodnight, Rey.”

Rey stepped into the backseat. “Goodnight, Beau.” And closed the door firmly behind her.

She didn’t release the breath she’d been holding until the car was in motion.

Oh god, that had been even worse than she’d imagined. She grabbed her phone, firing off a text to Rose.

You (9:32PM): You are dead to me.

Rose (9:32PM): That good, huh? You should be thanking me! I got you back in the saddle.

Rey shook her head.

You (9:33PM): If that’s the saddle, you can keep it.

Rose (9:34PM): There’s always Tinder…

You (9:34PM): Goodnight, Rose.

Rose sent her back a string of eggplant and peach emojis that had her blushing in the back of the car. No need to respond to that.

She checked the rest of her messages, finding one from a number she didn’t recognize. 

Maybe: Poe? (9:15PM): hey its poe. all well. deacon says goodnight

There was a picture of Deacon and Bea waving from inside the tent attached. 

Her heart gave a squeeze. 

You (9:36PM): Tell him I said goodnight.

The three dots appeared almost instantly. 

Maybe: Poe? (9:36PM):  👍

Rey smiled. It was nice knowing someone who just got it. Who understood. Beaumont Kin never would have…

Whoa. She was not just trying to compare Poe to her date. Nope.

Thankfully, the car pulled up to her house before she had a chance to delve into that further. 

“Thanks!” she said as she got out the car, eternally grateful for quiet mode. Five stars all the way.

By noon the next day, the quiet was threatening to drive her insane.

As much as she relished a night to herself - and definitely she relished it with a book and a bubble bath and a bottle of wine she had laying around - the house was too clean and too quiet and two big without Deacon wreaking havoc. Rey found herself counting down the minutes until she could get in the car and head to the Dameron house.

Oh hell, nobody would care if she was fifteen minutes early for once, would they?

She pulled up in front of the house at 12:13. They really were just around the corner from her. That was convenient. For Deacon.

Poe had sent her a text earlier asking if chocolate chip pancakes were ok for breakfast. It was cute that he thought she was one of those moms that cared about chocolate for breakfast. They were way past that.

Poe’s dad greeted her at the door. “Rey! You’re just in time for pancakes. Come in, come in.”

“Thank you, Mr. Dameron,” she said, following him into the cozy kitchen.

He waved her off. “Call me Kes. We have one more for pancakes!”

Poe was at the stove in a pair of jeans that had to be illegal in four states, an honest-to-god apron tied around his waist.

“Coming right up,” he said with a wink, turning back to the pancakes. The kids were lined up at the island, singing along with the Temptations blasting out of a speaker somewhere. He joined in a second later, his voice rich and supple as he sang, “ _ I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day _ ,” to her as he put another plate in front of Deacon. “Another short stack for my man, D.O.”

“D.O.?” asked Rey, a little confused. 

Deacon answered. “It’s a nickname, Mom. Deacon Oliver.”

“Of course it is,” she laughed, “but you already have a name.”

“Yeah, but I never had a nickname.”

She couldn’t deny that logic, especially when Poe put a stack of chocolate chip pancakes in front of her. 

“House specialty,” said Poe with another wink. If she didn’t know better, she’d say the man was flirting with her. “And you could use a nickname, too.”

Bea chose that moment to pipe in, her mouth full to bursting with half-chewed pancake. “We do it every Sunday. It’s tradition.”

“The nicknames?” asked Rey, a little confused.

“No, the pancakes!”

“For the love of god, can you please chew and then talk?” said Poe over his shoulder. 

Rey laughed. She recognized that particular brand of exasperation well. “Well, thank you for letting us join.”

Bea opened her mouth, even more full than the last time, “Anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Drop me a line and let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the Solos' house brings Rey a new opportunity. Later, Poe and Rey grow closer as they prep for the kids' Halloween party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up now! We get some of Rey's backstory here (Poe's will come later) and a few more sparks (and maybe a little ignition). 
> 
> A sincere thanks to everyone showing this fic a little love. It was a spur of the moment plot bunny and I love seeing people enjoy this story (and any story, really). So thanks! And enjoy!

“Just pretend to eat something,” said Rey, straightening Deacon’s - err, D.O.’s - bowtie as they headed up the front steps of the Solos’ house.

“But I’m so full,” he whined.

“That’s why I said pretend.” Rey straightened up to ring the doorbell.

Leia Organa-Solo opened the door a second later. “Rey! Deacon! You two are just on time.”

Rey accepted the older woman’s hug with a smile. 

Leia turned to Deacon, giving him an extra squeeze for good measure. “We weren’t expecting you today, kiddo,” she said, giving Rey A Look over his head. “But Grandpa is in the library. Why don’t you go say hi to him and Chewie while your mom and I chat.”

“Ok!” said Deacon, taking off for the library. He loved the Solos’ old St. Bernard, Chewie, more than anything on Earth.

Leia waited until he was out of earshot to turn to Rey. “What did my bonehead son do this time?”

Say what you wanted about Rey’s ex-husband, the rest of the Solos were good people. 

“Oh the usual. Something came up. And magically, he had to go as soon as I suggested he tell Deacon himself.” Rey followed Leia into the main sitting room. 

“A drink, dear?” Leia offered as soon as Rey was seated. 

“Why not?”

As if out of thin air, one of the household staff appeared. Leia waved her over. “We’ll have two mimosas please. Extra champagne.” She turned her attention back to Rey. “Something came up my ass. More like his secretary’s skirt came up. Good god, if I’d have known he was going to be like this, I never would have pulled those strings for him to join Mothma, Raddus, and Organa.” 

Though Leia had long since given up the law for her political career, her name still remained on the firm her father had started years ago. The same firm Leia had gotten Ben a job at after he somehow managed to pass the bar. Third time's the charm. 

The drinks were delivered a second later, Rey taking a fortifying sip before Leia turned to her with her concerned face. “How is Deacon holding up?”

“Surprisingly well, actually. I think he’s starting to realize that a weekend with Dad doesn’t actually mean a weekend with Dad, though. Unfortunately.” Leia winced. “But he had a sleepover at friend’s last night to make up for it. We actually just came from there, and I hate to admit it, but we’re a little stuffed from breakfast.”

Leia waved off her concern. “No worries, dear. We’re just happy to see you two.”

It was part of the deal. The Solos provided funding for Deacon’s activities and paid so Rey could stay in the house while the courts figured out the alimony situation, no questions asked. Rey and Deacon just needed to show up for Sunday dinner. 

And it wasn’t like Rey wasn’t looking for a job. There just wasn’t a whole lot out there for a 26-year old college dropout who hadn’t had a job in over six years. She never should have listened to Ben about staying home full time.

“Now, about that job situation,” said Leia, prescient as ever. There were times Rey would swear the woman could read her mind. “As you know, the election is in a few short weeks and it looks like it’s going to be a victory for me.” That was an understatement. Leia was running for Governor, practically unopposed. There was no doubt that she’d win the Governorship in November, though the election was part of the reason Rey had been playing so nice with Ben and the divorce. Optics. “That being said, I’m looking to build my team. For when things become official.”

Rey took another sip of mimosa, a little confused. That was lovely, but why was Leia telling Rey? “Ok…”

“I’d like you to be on that team.”

Rey nearly choked on her drink. “Leia, I’m in no way qualified to work for you. And wouldn’t that look bad? You just giving me a job?”

“You’d still interview for it,” said Leia, waving away her concerns. “And I already have a chief of staff, but I need an assistant I can trust.”

“And you want me?” Rey didn’t bother to keep the incredulity out of her voice.

Leia leaned over, patting Rey’s hand. “Yes, you. You’re organized, efficient, smart. I’ve seen how you’ve handled everything since Ben left. And honestly, before that. And I want someone like that on my team.”

“Ok,” said Rey, still trying to wrap her head around this latest development. This would be a game changer for her, something to put on her pathetically bare resume. “I’ll interview.”

“Excellent. I’ll have Connix set it up.” Leia gave a little clap. “So tell me about this new friend.”

Rey blinked, wondering for a second if Leia somehow knew about those thoughts she’d been having about Poe Dameron when she realized she was asking about Deacon’s friend. Right. 

“Her name is Bea, and she’s this adorable little red-head. Talks like she’s thirty. Her and her dad are new in town. His name’s Poe Dameron.”

“Oh, you met Poe!”

Rey gave her a skeptical look. “You know Poe?” 

“Of course. Poe grew up around here. Kes Dameron’s son. His mother, Shara, worked for me back in the day. He was a few years older than Ben, so I don’t think they were really friends, but they definitely knew each other.”

Oh joy.

Leia saw whatever look crossed her face. “I wouldn’t worry, dear. There’s no love lost between Poe and Ben.”

That’s exactly what she’d been afraid of.

___________________________________________

Rey had called or texted him enough over the last month or so that it was no surprise to see her name pop up on a cool October morning.

“Hey Sunshine, what’s up?” he answered on speaker, not wanting to pause mid illustration. He had some revisions to do on the latest book, and they weren’t going to sketch themselves.

“Finn said you’re a room mother,” she declared in that matter-of-fact way she had. No bullshit, no preamble, no small talk. Those first few weeks, it annoyed the crap out him. What could he say, he liked a little foreplay to his conversations. But now, he found it was growing on him.

Poe laughed. “Well, I prefer room parent, but yes.” 

Finn was one of Rey’s best friends. He also happened to be Mr. Storm, Deacon and Bea’s first grade teacher. It certainly had its perks. Poe now knew all the hottest gossip in grade one.

“Well, we got assigned to decorations for the Halloween party.”

Poe grimaced. This happened every time someone let slip he was an artist. And of course, because of that everyone expected the biggest and best decorations. And there was only so much one could do with pumpkins and ghosts. 

Just once he wanted to get assigned snacks or games. Just once.

“Poe?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” he said, leaning back in his chair. All motivation for these pages had officially fled thanks to the distraction that was Rey Kenobi.

“The party’s next week so…”

He took a deep breath, holding it for a second before letting it out as a sigh. “Right, how about you and D.O. come over on Saturday. We can figure out these decorations and the kids can hang out.”

“Deacon’s actually with his dad this weekend,” said Rey, her voice tight in that way it only got when she talked about her ex.

“Oh man, Bea’s gonna miss him.” He tapped a pencil on the desk, the next question coming to his lips before he could stop it. “But you’re still good to come over?”

“Yeah, of course. What time?”

“Uh, noon? I’ll make you lunch.” Poe winced. Way to play it cool, Dameron.

But Rey seemed none the wiser to his fumbling attempts at flirting. Christ, he must be rusty. “Oh, great. I’ll see you then.”

They clicked off a second later, Rey not one for any unnecessary small talk.

Poe groaned, dropping his head into his hands. 

His feelings had been growing for her ever since the camp out and the breakfast after. The morning when he’d bestowed that nickname on her after singing along with the Temps. Sunshine. It fit.

And amazingly, she let him call her that, only rolling her eyes every other time he used it, that sweet little smile on her face telling him she didn’t mind at all.

Shit. This was becoming a problem, as evidenced by the now 50 or so sketches of her face smiling down at him from around the shed. 

Yeah, he should probably do something about that before Saturday.

When Rey arrived on Saturday, it was with Deacon in tow, twin looks of consternation on their faces.

“Dio, my man. We weren’t expecting you,” said Poe, looking at Rey in confusion. 

Her lips pursed, fingers carding through Dio’s baby fine hair. “Yeah, we don’t want to talk about it.” 

Poe could respect that. “Well, I know Bea’s gonna be excited. She’s in her room if you wanna go surprise her.”

Without so much as a glance back, Dio took off up the stairs.

Turned out, by “we don’t want to talk about it,” Rey meant Dio didn’t want to talk about it. Which Poe found out as soon as he was out of earshot.

“I could fucking kill him,” Rey said, seething as Poe led her into the kitchen. She dropped down on one of the island chairs. 

He didn’t need to ask who she was talking about. “What was the excuse this time?”

Rey’s ex had Dio every other weekend per the custody agreement. In the nearly two months Poe had known Rey and Dio, Ben had shown up for exactly one of them.

“Work. It’s always work,” she said, shaking her head. “Like I don’t know he’s lying through his teeth.”

“Secretary?” he asked, pulling ingredients out of the fridge. “By the way, are sandwiches okay?” He’d planned the meal three times over, each menu more complicated than the last, before finally scrapping it all for something simple. She didn’t quite need to know how much he was into her. Yet.

“Of course, I eat anything.”

“And Dio?” he asked, knowing how picky Bea could be.

Rey looked at him like he was nuts. “He’s my kid.”

“Duly noted.”

“And yes, it’s the secretary. Or a new one, who knows with him,” she said, as he lined up all the fixings on the counter. “I mean, I never had any illusions about what kind of a person he was, but with the divorce he is taking it to a whole new level.”

Poe froze, his curiosity piqued. “Well, you must have seen something in him if you married the guy.”

Rey’s face turned a brilliant shade of magenta. “Um, Deacon, I mean Dio - thanks for that by the way - was a bit of a surprise.”

“No shame in that,” he said, meaning every word of it. “So was Bea.”

Rey nodded, and he thought it was the end of it, but a second later she went on. 

“I was 19. A freshman in college. Ben was in his first year of law school.”

Poe didn’t let the shock show on his face. He knew she was younger than him, and one of the youngest moms at Yavin Elementary, but he hadn’t realized exactly how young. That put her at 26, give or take a few months. At 34, he felt ancient.

“When I found out,” she continued, Poe practically holding his breath, “I was terrified and alone and broke, so very, very broke, so when he proposed I said yes. We hadn’t been dating all that long, and I thought that made him honorable. What I found out later is that his parents threatened his trust fund if he didn’t ‘do the right thing.’”

He knew the disgust was showing on his face, and he did nothing to stop it. “Sunshine, that’s awful.” Without thinking, he reached across the island and took her hand.

She gave him a weak smile, either for the nickname or the empathy. Or hell, maybe the hand holding. A guy could dream.

“Sorry, I seem to have put a damper on the mood with my sob story.” She gave a half-hearted laugh.

“Not at all. You can talk to me anytime, Rey. I mean that,” he said, locking eyes with her. When she gave a stiff nod, he let up. “Now, let’s get you a sandwich before we call the little monsters down.”

The decorations took longer than expected, so it was nearly six that evening when they started cleaning up his little studio. 

He was pretty proud of himself, what with the 3D paper pumpkins, a fairly complicated ghost and jack o’lantern banner, and a spooky - not scary - full size vampire and matching Frankenstein that he came up with in record time. Rey, it quickly became apparent, was best kept to gluing and glitter, the cutting and paper folding proving to be a bit too much. 

“Listen, I warned you I was not crafty,” she said by way of not-apology, and truer words had never been spoken.

But they’d made it through relatively unscathed, and now all that remained was to clean up. Poe was doing just that, brushing all the paper scraps off his desk and into the bin, when he noticed a conspicuous absence of sound coming from Rey.

He looked up to find her in the back corner where he kept his completed pieces, her head tilted at something on the floor.

When he walked up behind her, he found her looking at his latest series, the brightly colored bodies almost jumping off the canvas. 

“Are these yours?” she asked.

And Poe being Poe had to say, “No, I keep random artist’s canvases in my studio.”

Rey shot him a look.

“Yes, they’re mine.” He stepped closer, so close that he could smell the shampoo in Rey’s perfectly coiffed hair as he looked at the one nearest to them with a critical eye. It had turned out well, if he did say so himself, the colors really playing off the woman’s skin. Though it didn’t hurt that her expression was near feral, teeth bared white against the riotous colors around her. “Part of a series I’m working on for a showing in Coruscant in a couple of months. I still need one more, but the people willing to model in Yavin are slim to none.” Emphasis on the none. He had yet to find a single person, male or female, willing to sit for him in this godforsaken city. Already the fear that he wouldn’t be able to finish in time was creeping in. But Poe pushed that aside to ask the burning question. “What do you think?”

Nervously, he awaited her verdict.

And she took her time with it too, examining the canvases one at a time from every angle. With every passing second his anxiety ratcheted up until finally he was more than a little surprised when she declared, “I love it. Bodies as the works of art.”

Then again, what did he expect? Rey had been full of nothing but surprises since he met her. She wasn’t quite the Yavin Stepford wife he’d first assumed. 

He told himself it was that reason and that reason alone why his next question rolled so easily off the tongue.

“Will you sit for me?”

Rey turned to him, her expression a lot more open than he’d been expecting. “For a painting?”

“Yeah. To finish out this series.” He had to admit, she would be perfect. Three men, three women. Poe loved nothing more than symmetry. 

But it would mean putting an end to his infatuation with her. Poe lived by a set of strict rules, first and foremost being that he didn’t sleep with his models. There was no way he was going to fall into the trap of the tortured artist and his muse. He refused to be that particular cliché. Not that he’d been thinking about Rey like that. All that much.

Rey looked at the paintings. “What would I have to do?”

The fact that she was even entertaining the thought felt like a miracle to him. “Just lay back and let me work.”

“Naked.”

It wasn’t a question, but he answered it as such. “Yes.”

“And I’d be up on a gallery wall.”

“Yes.”

There was a pause. “Ok,” she said, turning to him. “I’ll do it.”

“Really?” He didn’t try to hide his surprise. Yet again.

“Don’t look so shocked.” She laughed, swatting at him playfully. “I’m not as straitlaced as I pretend to be.” The way she quirked her brow turned something long dormant in him molten.

Shaking off the feeling, he turned to Rey, completely sincere for once in his life. “Thank you. Really. I don’t know what I would have done.”

They were close, a few bare inches separating her chest from his. The air around them seemed to charge as one breath turned into another.

“It will be an adventure,” she finally said, her hazel eyes never leaving his.

Those eyes watched hungrily as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip, something snapping a second later when she surged up to press her lips to his.

His last coherent thought was, “Rules are made to be broken, right?” before everything in his head turned into a solid chant of “Rey.”

Their matching heights made it far too easy to bring her closer, no awkward angles or stooping necessary. Not that he’d ever had to stoop much to get the job done. She felt so delicate in his arms, breakable, though he knew she was anything but as he pulled her closer, her body warm against his in the coolness of the shed.

Whether it was him or her who deepened the kiss was anybody’s guess, but before he quite knew what was happening he was making out with her like a teenager in the back seat of his dad’s car. Earnest. Eager. A little sloppy. It had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of overwhelming, brain hot wiring, short circuiting need.

When they came up for air a few seconds later, it was with gasping breaths that he rested her forehead against hers.

“Oh, shit,” she panted, earning a soft chuckle from him.

“Not the best reaction I’ve had to a kiss. Also not the worst.”

Rey laughed, burying her face in his shoulder for a second.

“We should probably…” she trailed off, biting her lip. Her pink and slightly swollen lip.

“Right.” Of course they weren’t going to talk about it. Made perfect sense. “The kids are probably starving.”

“Exactly,” she replied, but made no move to leave his arms.

There was a pounding on the shed door, and they had just enough time to separate before Kes and two screaming six-years came barreling in.

“Dinner’s ready!” said Kes by way of introduction. 

Dio was tugging on Rey’s sweater. “Mom, Mom, can we stay? Please? They’re having spaghetti, and you were just gonna try to feed me chicken nuggets again.”

Rey’s face turned a shade of pink not seen much in nature. “I bought tater tots, too. Plus, the Damerons haven’t invited us, kiddo.”

“Yes, we did,” chirped his father, cheerful as ever. Poe shot him a look. It was ignored. “Come on, before it gets cold.”

Poe and Rey exchanged a look before she gave a little shrug. “Why not.”

And as they all traipsed back to the house for dinner, he could have sworn he saw her pressing her fingers to her lips, a soft smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey navigate the kids' Halloween party and the strange politics of Yavin Elementary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, let me apologize. I've been watching a lot of Little Fires Everywhere and Big Little Lies (what can I say, I'm on a Reese Witherspoon kick), and since I don't have kids myself, this chapter borrows heavily from those shows. So it's fairly heightened and meant to be funny. 
> 
> Second, huge thanks to [GothamOracle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothamOracle/pseuds/GothamOracle) who read through this when I was freaking out and assured me it came off as funny and not mean.
> 
> Third and final note, thanks to everyone who has been showing this story a little love! I'm having a blast writing it, and all the support is making this quarantine a whole lot easier to manage. You guys rock.

She had kissed Poe Dameron.

SHE had kissed Poe Dameron. She had KISSED Poe Dameron. She had kissed POE DAMERON. 

No matter how or how many times she said it, the facts were the same. Rey had kissed Poe Dameron. 

And she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

To say that had not been the plan was the understatement of the year. Nay, the century. She didn’t even like the man. He was brash and difficult and too rude by half. Not to mention that infuriating laid back way he had about absolutely. 

Then again he did listen to the entire sob story about her sham of a marriage to Ben without judgment. And fed her. And spent an entire day helping her make (who was she kidding, he did all the work) decorations for a first grade Halloween party. 

He was kind and gentle and a ridiculously good listener. Not to mention the fact that he’d asked her to sit for one of those paintings in his studio. Naked. And she’d agreed.

Ok, maybe it wasn’t such a mystery why she’d kissed him. Maybe she liked him a little after all.

She tried to wrap her head around that revelation as she got ready for the party.

Though it was Halloween, none of the moms dressed up. At least, not in costumes. No it was skirts and blouses and pearls for the Yavin moms, a suffocating cloud of Chanel No. 5 following them around at all times. 

So she donned her houndstooth skirt and a tasteful blouse, working those god awful pearl earrings into her ears. Not that she hated the pearls. Just everything they represented in her life so far. Every compromise and infidelity and broken promise of her marriage could be summed up by that damn jewelry. She sighed. If you wanted to play the part, you had to look the part, and all this was a part of that.

Huh. Maybe she was wearing a costume after all.

As she took one final look in the mirror, Rey noticed that the white blouse was just sheer enough to show a splash of color on her upper arm. Running back to her closet, she grabbed a sweater, donning it as she called for Dio to hurry up in the hall. 

That had been close. 

While she waited for Dio downstairs, she amused herself by imagining the looks on the other moms faces if they ever saw Rey, the real Rey, in all her glory. The sheer number of holes in her ears alone would scandalize them. Rey chuckled to herself.

“How do I look?” 

Rey looked up in enough time to see Deacon do a little spin, looking ridiculously dapper in his pint-sized suit. “Oh Deacon, you look so handsome.”

She had tried to talk him out of his “businessman” costume, plying him with Batmans and Spidermans and really any superhero with a “man” in their name, but to no avail. Much like the sweater vests and bowties, Deacon was adamant.

“Moo-om, it’s Dio, now.” He crossed his arms in a stunning approximation of his father, Rey blinking a second to clear the image. 

“Right, it’s Dio, now. How could I forget, kiddo.”

He grabbed her hand, dragging her from the kitchen. “Come on, we’re gonna be late.”

Rey passed the morning in the library, volunteering to help the second graders with their reading as part of her Yavin Elementary Good Neighbor requirement. Every household was required to donate 10 hours of time to the school over the course of a semester. Rey more than had that covered with the room parent stuff, but she genuinely liked to help the kids with their reading. 

Though today was proving a little more difficult to concentrate.

It was the looming prospect of seeing Poe for the first time since they’d kissed. She found her mind wandering. Would it be weird? Would it be the same? Maybe it was no big deal. Maybe Poe kissed women in his studio all the time after asking them to sit for him. You know how artists could be.

“Mrs. Solo?” said the little girl in front of her. 

Rey didn’t have the heart to correct her. “Yes, Olivia?”

“I don’t know this word,” she said in a way that told Rey it wasn’t the first time she’d asked her. 

Her face heated. Keep an eye on the ball, Kenobi. “Right, that’s energy.”

“The energy…”

The rest of the session went by in a flash, Rey’s head now firmly in the game. When the bell rang for lunch, she was just as surprised as Olivia.

“Great job,” she said, squeezing the little girl’s shoulder. “See you next week.”

“Bye Mrs. Solo!”

“Kenobi,” Rey whispered to herself.

Rey took off toward the lower elementary wing, the lunch she’d packed for her and Finn swinging on one arm. Since the kids had music right after lunch, there’d be plenty of time to hang out with Finn and still set up for the party when the rest of the room parents arrived.

“Peanut!” was the greeting she received upon entering the classroom. Finn pulled her into a massive bear hug. “Please tell me that is lunch you brought. A man cannot live on gluten, nut, wheat, and soy free cupcakes alone. Or, you know, at all.”

She held up the bag. “From that place on Third we love.”

“You are my favorite. Have I mentioned how you’re my favorite?”

Rey laughed, watching as he dug around the bag.

“Oh good, you brought enough to feed an army, like always. I told you, Poe.”

Rey looked up to find a very sheepish Poe Dameron watching their exchange from the back of the empty classroom.

“And here I thought I was the first to give you a nickname. Little did I know you were already a Peanut.” He looked slightly ridiculous in what appeared to be a tree costume, brown pants and green shirt with little paper leaves attached.

Rey gave him a soft smile. “I like Sunshine, too. There’s no rule about only having one nickname.”

Finn was watching them with no little bit of interest, eyes going back and forth between the two. “Huh, well you two seem to know each other a little more than the average room parent.”

She looked at Poe and he looked at her and together they said, “Playdates.”

Finn snorted, starting to unpack the veritable buffet Rey had brought. “Is that what the kids are calling them these days?” He gave Rey a sly look. “I’ll have to tell Rose she can stop prepping your Tinder profile.”

Rey ignored the implication, but was pleasantly surprised to find a little color on Poe’s cheeks. Though he seemed determined to ignore it as well, digging into one of the sandwiches with a little too much focus. 

“Listen, after the Beaumont Kin incident, all of Rose’s privileges have been revoked.”

“That bad, huh?” asked Finn, mouth full.

Rey forced herself to go on, even though she could feel Poe’s eyes on her. “I was home by 9:30. And it was a stretch to even get there.” She took a bite of sandwich, swallowing before she added. “He wanted me to look at his artifacts.”

Poe’s brow quirked up. “Is that a euphemism?” 

“I honestly don’t think so, and that makes it so much worse,” she laughed.

Finn looked down at his watch. “Time check. The mombies are about to descend. You ready, Peanut?”

Rey shook out her limbs, rolled her shoulders, and sat up straighter before slapping that bland smile on her face. “Ready.”

Poe leaned over, looking at both of them like they were nuts. “Uh guys, just one question. What are ‘mombies?’”

“You are about to find out.” Finn laughed, slapping him on the back.

Rey shook her head, giving him her best pity look. “They’re gonna eat you alive.”

_________________

The mombies, it turned out, were a group of incredibly high strung, overachieving mothers native to Yavin. 

They descended in a literal swarm, 10 in all, the cloud of their perfume enough to choke a horse. It was a sea of tasteful plaid, and tasteful diamond studs, and tasteful pearls. The word of the day was tasteful. He was pretty sure the combined total value of the shoes alone was more than his last advance. And he wasn’t even going to think about the purses.

Yet somehow Rey, with her chic pencil skirt and demure sweater and yes, even pearls, blended right in. It was like the woman he knew, messy, complicated, fun, disappeared completely, subsumed by the hive mind of the mombies. Like she’d gone native. Serious Heart of Darkness shit.

Her laugh was brittle, her smile obviously fake, not to mention the stiff, painful way she seemed to carry herself. Poe was forcibly reminded of that first encounter and the stick he’d assumed had been up her ass. 

As he watched in near terror as the women got to work, snipping and sniping at each other in thinly veiled insults Poe only half understood, Finn sidled over to him, the resident mombie anthropologist and translater.

“Why did three women just corner me, ask if Bea had attended Massassi Prep for pre-k, and then judge me when I said no?” asked Poe, finding Finn hiding by the peanut, tree nut, soy, and dairy free snacks. 

Finn popped some sort of party mix in his mouth. “It’s the holy grail of preschools. $30k per year. Apparently, they read two-year-olds Hemingway.”

“Oh, so that’s why they gasped when I said she went to the Y for preschool. Got it.” He paused. “Really, $30k for preschool?”

“Yup. A rumor went around a few years ago that your kid wouldn’t even be considered at an Ivy if they didn’t have the proper pre-schooling and it just took off. There’s like a three year waitlist. You have to apply now when you’re pregnant.”

Poe blinked. “Ok.” Christ, he was out of his depth here. A question bloomed in his mind. “Did Rey…” he trailed off, almost afraid of Finn’s answer.

“Oh god, no,” he laughed, slapping Poe on the back. “Ben makes good money at his firm, but not Massassi money. He’s not even a partner, yet. And I don’t think Rey could stomach that place anyway.”

Poe nodded, relieved. He wasn’t sure he could stomach Rey if she’d paid more for preschool than he’d paid for college tuition. And he still had the loans.

They were in-between games and crafts, the kids all running around in their costumes and pigging out on snacks. Bea was with Dio and another little girl, Bea’s fairy princess wings threatening to knock the other kids out every time she moved.

It was possible he overdid it with the costume.

He’d made it himself, more than one night spent at his mom’s old sewing machine trying to get the dress just right. And the wings. Good god, he’d needed every trick he’d learned in that costuming class he’d taken on a lark his senior year to get those wings just right. But Bea was thrilled, and he was proud of how it turned out, especially the face paint. He’d be washing glitter off of her for months.

Though it would be worth it, if only because she looked damn magical next to all the kids in their superhero and Disney princess costumes. Not that there was anything wrong with store bought.

Then there was Dio in his three-piece suit. 

What the hell was Rey thinking? He knew she wanted to impress these people, but she could at least let the kid pick his own costume.

Whatever. It wasn’t his business. And if he ever wanted to kiss that woman again, he should most definitely keep his mouth shut.

That was the rub though, he wanted to kiss her again. And again and again and again. It was starting to consume all of his waking thoughts. And some of his sleeping ones, too. 

There was something special about Rey - the real Rey, not the version she was playing at here - that once in a lifetime spark that he felt whenever he was with her. 

But, as always, he was getting ahead of himself. He had to survive this party first.

He leaned over to Finn, his voice low. “What is with the flocks?” he asked, nodding towards the room mothers.

They were in two distinct groups, each pack orbiting the other but not straying. It reminded him vaguely of the wildlife documentaries his dad loved so much. Wolves on the prowl.

“Well, with this crowd you’ve got the stay at homes versus the working mothers,” explained Finn. “Each group looks down on the other, but I honestly just think they’re all jealous of each other.”

“And where does Rey fit in in all this? Isn't she kind of both now?”

Finn’s brow quirked. “I thought you two knew each other.”

“We do. It’s just…” he trailed off, trying to find the right word. “New.”

“Right. Well, it’s no secret Rey was part of the stay-at-home crowd. Her ex insisted. But now she’s a class of her own.”

He gave Finn a quizzical look.

“Divorced. It makes her public enemy number one. She’s so young and beautiful everyone is worried she’s going to steal their husbands. So it's kind of a keep your enemies close situation.”

Poe couldn’t help the look that came over his face. “Ew.”

“I know,” laughed Finn. “It’s a shame. They don’t know her at all.”

“Are all the parents around here like that?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer. What the hell had he gotten them into?

“God, no. Most people are completely normal. Barely involved, lives of their own, just trying to get through the days like the rest of us. It’s just the few who seem to have something to prove.” He finished with a wince, like he’d just realized what he’d inadvertently said about his best friend. But he was off a second later to stop Jacen from pulling off Liza’s Elsa wig.

Before he had a chance to think on that more, it was pumpkin painting time. Finally, something he could actually manage.

A woman with perfectly curled blonde hair approached. “Mr. Dameron, I heard you’re to thank for our lovely decorations. Is it true that you’re an artist?”

Poe put on his best smile. “Please, call me Poe.” There was no point in being rude. Especially when they very well might eat him alive. “And yeah, I dabble here and there.”

Another woman approached, this one a slightly different shade of blonde. “Well, I heard you’re quite the painter.”

Was this a trap? Because it felt like a trap.

“Uh, also true.” Now, he was genuinely nervous. “You know, on that note, I should probably be helping with the kids…”

“Oh, they’re fine,” answered one of the blondes. Or wait, was this a new one? Did everyone go to the same stylist here?

Two more women joined. He searched the room frantically for Finn, trying to communicate “help me” with only his eyes when he finally caught the other man’s attention. Finn just smirked and went back to helping one of the princesses with her pumpkin. Traitor.

“You know,” one of the two dark-haired women said, “I’ve been told that I have excellent bone structure.”

“And I do pilates three times per week,” piped in another.

“Crossfit. Daily.”

“HIIT.”

Oh, they were _flirting_ with him. And someone had obviously googled his work if they were all so willing to tell him how many times a week they worked out. This he could handle.

He put on his best smile, the one that had charmed more than one person into purchasing his probably overpriced work. “Of course, I can tell,” he said to nobody and everybody in particular. His eye snagged on Rey hovering at the back of the group, her face drawn. “I’m actually about to finish up a series now. I’ll be showing it in Coruscant early next year.”

The swarm drew closer.

“Really,” asked the original blonde, de facto leader of the swarm. “That’s so interesting. What’s it about?”

“The body as a work of art.”

That raised more than one eyebrow in an interested way. “Do tell us more.”

“Uh, well the painting is confined to a subject’s body. They’re the canvas on my canvas, so to speak.” The mombies nodded as one. This wasn’t so bad. They seemed to love him. That actually gave him an idea. Why not help out a friend? “You know, I actually was looking for my final subject and Rey…” He caught Rey’s panicked face at the back of the crowd, her head shaking back and forth aggressively. “Rey actually saw the paintings when we put together all the decorations,” he finished kind of lamely. Rey visibly relaxed over the heads of the other moms.

They took the opportunity to fawn over the decorations for a second before Finn cleared his throat in the back of the room.

“Uh, I think we are done with the painting guys.” Sure enough, the natives were getting restless, and more than one splash of paint had made it onto non-approved surfaces. “Might want to move on to the next activity?”

“Of course,” the blonde leader said in her cheeriest voice. She quickly divided them up. “You guys handle the clean up,” she said, pointing to Poe’s group, “and the rest of us will manage the games.”

Right. Maybe he wasn’t that high on the food chain after all. 

But he was more than content collecting brushes and taking them to the teacher’s lounge to rinse out. It was familiar work. A little repetitive. A lot calming.

That is, until Rey burst his peaceful little bubble with another round of brushes.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed at him in the empty lounge, setting more cups full of paint covered brushes down.

Poe blinked, looking down at the sink. “Cleaning up?”

“I meant in the classroom. With the other room moms.”

He couldn’t believe his ears. She actually sounded angry about it. No, not angry, livid. “I thought they’d be impressed you were sitting for me.”

“It doesn’t work like that,” she snapped back at him.

Poe took a deep breath, feeling his own anger rising to meet hers. “Then how does it work?”

She rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t get it.”

“What the hell do you have to prove to those women? Please, enlighten me. Because from where I’m standing you’re smarter and prettier and funnier than any of the desperate housewives in there.”

Rey blinked at him for a second. “You think I’m prettier than them?”

“And funnier, and smarter, and stronger, and more capable,” he reminded, knowing full well he was exposing his feelings for her. But fuck it, when was he not one to wear his heart on his sleeve? “But yes, definitely prettier. What’s going on? This isn’t you.”

Not that he knew her all that well. But the Rey standing in front of him certainly wasn’t the same woman who kissed him in the shed or agreed to let him paint her. 

As if to prove him wrong, she closed the distance between them, placing her lips on his.

But Poe certainly wasn’t going to complain, not when she was pressing herself against his shitty tree costume, the paper leaves he’d cut out last minute crinkling under the strain.

A throat clearing in the back of the room broke them apart a second later. 

Poe looked up to find Blonde Leader in the doorway, hands on her hips. She looked… well quite frankly, she looked jealous in a way no woman with a two carat rock on her finger should be. You know, because of the husband. “If you two are finished, we could use you back in the classroom.” At that, she turned on her heel and whisked back down the hallway.

Rey groaned, burying her head in his shoulder with a laugh. 

Poe patted her head. “Yeah, something tells me you don’t have to worry about impressing her anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm I wonder what will happen when Rey finally sits for that painting? Tune in Wednesday to find out...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up when Rey finally sits for Poe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter folks. A couple of things. First, let's use a little willing suspension of disbelief. The paint doesn't get anywhere gross or unhealthy. It's just good, not-so-clean fun. If that type of fun is not your thing, skip from "Wait, I'm wet." to "What?"
> 
> On that note, enjoy!

By some miracle, they made it through the rest of the Halloween party, despite the glares of the mombies that followed wherever they went. And a night of trick-or-treating, standing a full foot apart, even though Poe wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. But they had little witnesses (and a big one, too), so he kept his hands to himself. He was able to sneak a goodnight kiss on her front porch when no one was looking. But it wasn’t the same.

So, they burned from afar as October turned to November, the trees going from vibrant reds and oranges to the bare, dull brown of winter.

Leia Organa won the governorship, which sent Rey into a frenzy of work. And with Deacon starting up his cello lessons and the swim season underway, and Bea kicking ass on the basketball team plus the time with her vocal teacher, not to mention Rey’s new gig as a working mom, there didn’t seem to be a single spare moment for him and Rey. Though they did their best with what they had. A stolen kiss before pick-up. A quick wave at drop-off. A brush of hands when they passed in the hall during volunteer hours.

It was starting to get to him. When he closed his eyes, it was Rey he saw, Rey he sketched every time he sat down at his desk. Not to mention that the time before his showing was slowly ticking away. So the next time he passed her in the halls of Yavin, he pulled her into an empty classroom.

“Oh hey,” she said, a mischievous grin on her face. She pressed him against the wall. “Long time no see.”

Her lips were anything but soft against his, hands immediately buried in his (admittedly messy) curls. Poe let himself be drawn in, his tongue sliding against hers sending every thought of deadlines and paintings from his mind.

That lasted for a few glorious minutes before his brain caught up with his (very, very eager) body. 

“Wait, wait,” he said, pulling back. He took a deep breath. Time to think with his brain, not with his… head. “We need to talk.”

“Talking is for people who have more than five minutes alone together a week.” She brought his face back to hers. 

Oh, how he wished he could just let himself get lost in her again. But despite the need he was currently pressing into her hip, there was a much more pressing need.

With no little difficulty he pulled back again. “The painting. When can you sit for the painting?”

“Are you trying to get me alone, Mr. Dameron?” She smiled at him, catching her lower lip between her teeth.

“You know it. For hours…” he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “And hours…” Now, the other side. “And hours,” he finished, capturing her lips once more. 

At that precise moment, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day and the end of their little interlude.

Rey let out a groan of frustration. “What did I say about the talking?”

Poe laughed. “Friday night. Dad agreed to take the kids to a movie, get them all sugared up, buy us some time.”

The sounds of kids grew closer, that chattering energy of the end of the school day echoing down the hall. 

“It’s a date,” she answered, pressing one final kiss to his lips before stepping back. 

“5:45?” He watched her walk backwards toward the door.

Rey narrowed her eyes at him slightly, a grin still playing at her lips. “Does that mean you want me there at 6? Are you handling me?”

Poe laughed, unable to get anything past her. “I guess I know you too well.”

“I was kinda hoping you’d want to get to know me a little better than that.” She opened the door, pitching her voice lower. “At least certain parts of me.” And on that note, she was gone, disappearing into the after school crowd. 

Poe leaned back against the wall with a sigh. That woman was going to be the death of him.

The rest of the week crawled by in a sea of basketball practice and homework and ignoring the pile of work in his studio. His publisher wanted a pitch for his next book, and Poe was drawing nothing but blanks. And Rey’s face.

Friday after school, Poe was running around like a crazy person, cleaning up the house, cleaning up the shed, putting a sheet over the couch, turning the little heater on so it wasn’t a literal ice box, all while Kes supervised with a smirk.

“If I knew this was how to get you to clean, I’d have offered to watch the kids a lot sooner,” he said, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed. 

Poe rolled his eyes, ignoring him. 

But Kes wasn’t done. “Now, we should be back around 9:30. Do we knock three times or something so you know it’s us. Don’t want the kids to get an eyeful--”

“Dad! Christ, I’m just painting her.”

“Mmmhmm.” Kes held out his hand, examining his nails. “And you two were just saying a friendly goodbye on Halloween.”

Poe froze mid-couch pillow fluff. “You saw that?”

“Yes, it seems I’m not as easily distractible as a pair of six-year olds.”

Poe had to laugh at that. And here, they thought they were being sly.

The doorbell rang.

Kes pushed off the wall. “Just have fun and be safe. I’m not quite ready to be a grandfather again. Yet,” he added with a smirk, slapping him on the back as he went to answer the door.

Poe’s face was still warm when he made it to the front door. 

“Come on, kids,” Kes was saying, putting on his coat. “Pixies and Ponies or whatever the hell this is waits for no man. And I’m gonna need popcorn, candy, and possibly a beer before the show.”

“Here, let me give you something…” Rey started, trying to pull some money out of her purse.

Kes waved her off. “Nonsense. My treat. I just ask that you keep any and all painting activities to the shed. It’s murder getting it out of the carpet in here. Have fun, you two. Dio, we are covering you in napkins. There’s no way butter will come out of that sweater vest.”

He left Rey there holding a twenty, her face beet red.

“Yeah, so that’s my real father, not the sweet, old, genial man he’s been pretending to be around you.” Poe said by way of hello. “Come on in.”

Rey laughed, joining him in the foyer. “He is quite the character.”

“Just imagine living with that full time,” said Poe, raising his brows.

Rey stuffed the money back into her purse. “You know that’s not me, right? The whole sweater and slacks thing.”

Poe raised his brows. “Really?” He’d honestly just assumed it was a part of the whole “Yavin mom” think Rey had going on.

“Yeah. I mean, do you know how many dress pants we go through in a year? I’d kill to get that kid in sweatpants. But he insists.”

“Dare I ask?”

Rey rolled her eyes in a way that told him he was in on the joke. “It was Ben. It’s always Ben. He told Dio he liked his outfit once and it’s been this ever since.”

Jesus. That poor kid. When Poe finally met Ben, he was just as liable to punch the guy as he was to say hello. Er, if he ever met Ben.

It got quiet, an awkward sort of silence where Poe wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. Rey seemed to be in the same boat, clasping them then unclasping them, dropping them to her sides. Finally she reached into her giant purse, pulling a bottle of red wine from it’s depths. “Uh, not sure how this usually works, but I know I could use a drink right now.”

Poe laughed. “Right. I don’t think a drink will hurt. Come on, let’s grab some glasses and head out back.”

They did just that, Poe stopping in the kitchen to grab a couple of wine glasses and a bottle opener before leading them to the shed.

He’d started the heater earlier, so it was nice and toasty when they entered, Rey taking the lay of the land once more. Her eyes seemed to stick on the couch and the sheet he’d laid over it, his easel complete with a blank canvas set up in front of it. 

Poe opened the bottle, pouring them each a glass. When he handed a glass to Rey, she took a hearty sip.

“So, how does this work?” she asked, eyes wide and a little nervous.

“Are you sure you’re still okay with this? I can find someone else if you aren’t, Sunshine.” It was a lie, there was no one else, but he’d figure it out if she wasn’t comfortable with it.

Rey smiled. “Of course it’s still ok. I’m just a little nervous, I guess. I’ve never done this before.”

Poe set down his glass. “Come here,” he said, and Rey stepped into his open arms without hesitation. She relaxed into the embrace, some of the tension of her body melting away.

“Thank you,” she said a second later as she pulled away, “but that still doesn’t answer my question. What now?”

“Right. So, uh, you get undressed and lay down and we can start.”

“That I can do,” she said, setting down her now empty glass and starting to undress.

Poe quickly turned around.

“You can watch,” she said, her voice low. Slowly, Poe turned back around.

She was dressed the most comfortably he’d ever seen her, leggings and giant sweatshirt that hung down mid-thigh. Things that were easy to take off, a fact he hadn’t allowed himself to think about until this moment.

With as little fanfare as possible, Rey whipped the sweatshirt over her head, almost like ripping off a bandaid. 

Poe’s breath caught in his chest.

There, on her slim arms, were splashes of color, stretching from the tops of her shoulders to just above the elbows. Tattoos in bright, intricate flowering designs. Already his mind was racing, changing his design to incorporate her art into his own.

“Shit,” she said, mistaking his reaction for something negative. “I forgot to mention the tattoos. Does that mean you can’t use me?”

Poe shook himself out of his stupor. “Not at all,” he said, coming forward to get a better look. She was completely bare on top, having foregone a bra apparently, but he’d register the rest of her creamy skin later. “I was just surprised, that’s all.” He pointed toward the half-sleeves. “May I?”

“I contain multitudes, Poe Dameron,” she said, a secret smile on her face. “And go for it.”

He brought a finger up to trace the lines of the drawing on her skin, trying to get a feel for it, see if he could replicate the design. It would be the most dynamic of the series if he could incorporate her tattoos into his painting.

He found another couple of designs on her back, something that nearly connected the two sleeves across her shoulder blades, and a small black and white design on her rib cage. Not to mention a small peace sign behind one ear and the three stars he’d never noticed on the top of her foot.

Unable to help himself, he pressed a kiss to the bright gerbera daisy on her left shoulder, Rey’s hand coming up to tangle in his curls. He brushed his lips up over her skin, pressing another kiss into the small peace sign behind her ear.

Rey hummed appreciatively.

“Why do you hide these?” he asked, brushing his lips against more of the petals on her skin. What he really wanted to do was run his tongue over them, tracing every line and color, but they only had so long before his dad and the kids returned.

“Something tells me the Yavin moms wouldn’t love the scrappy, tattooed, former teenage mother from Jakku as much as the buttoned down wife of Ben Solo.”

“Wait, you’re from Jakku?” 

Rey laughed. “Yeah, where did you think Finn and I met? We were both taken in by the same foster father when we were like eight. Ben Kenobi. I changed my last name as soon as I turned 18.” At whatever look crossed his face, she smiled. “I told you, I contain multitudes.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” he said by way of answer. “You are continuously surprising me, Rey Kenobi.”

At that, she turned, catching his lips with her own. Distantly, he knew she was mostly naked, but for the sake of his ever diminishing self-control, he kept his hands firmly at her waist.

“As much as I’d love to keep doing this,” he said when they finally pulled back, “and I’d really, really like to keep doing this, we only have until 9:30 until dad and the kids get back. So, work first, fun later?”

Rey bit down on her bottom lip. “I like how you think.”

And at that, she stepped out of her leggings. 

Yup, definitely the death of him.

____________

Rey tried not to smirk as Poe’s eyes bugged out of his head. For a fancy Coruscant artist, he certainly was easily scandalized.

She couldn’t pretend that his reaction to her hadn’t provided a little ego boost. It had come as a relief to show him all of her, all the parts that she hid from the rest of the world. Starting with the tattoos.

She’d been worried that he wouldn’t be able to use her, imagining that all the other models, both male and female, had been a blank canvas to work on. But he almost seemed more intrigued by her tattoos than the rest of her very naked body, tracing his finger - and then mouth - over the lines, leaving gooseflesh in his wake. 

It was enough to make a girl wet.

But work, then play as Poe had so elegantly put it. Rey turned to him. “How do you want me?”

The look on his face told her he had a much different answer in his mind, but he guided her toward the couch, arranging her just so. 

“Hair up or down?” she asked, and he answered by expertly scraping it back from her face into a tight ponytail. You could definitely tell he was a girl dad.

Poe cocked his head, eyes fixed just below her belly button. As they should be. She’d gotten a wax for the occasion. “What’s that from?” he asked, and she realized he was looking at the half smile of a scar between her hip bones.

She had to fight to not cover it with her hand out of habit. “C-section scar. Dio had a very large head.”

Poe’s face went red. “Uh, sorry.”

Rey laughed, thoroughly tickled by how easily embarassed he was. “It’s just a scar, Poe.”

“Right,” he said, a smile returning to his face. They grinned at each other like idiots for a second before Poe visibily shook himself. “Right. Paint.” He busied himself with mixing a few colors, looking over at her with a critical eye every so often before adjusting one or more the colors.

Rey watched him with no little fascination, trying her best not to move from the position he’d put her in. 

“Paint me like one of your French girls,” Rey said when he finally turned to look at her, pitching her voice low.

Poe’s face crinkled in laughter. “Did you just quote Titanic at me?”

“Duh,” she said by way of response, Poe shaking his head at her as he tweaked a color.

“You are something else.” He leaned in, pressing his lips to her for just a second before using his brush to dab a splash of hot pink on the tip of her nose.

“Hey!” Rey went to wipe it off, but Poe stilled her hand.

Repositioning her on the couch, he took a step back, his eye critical as he gazed on her form. Then with a flourish, he traced one collarbone with that hot pink paint.

The brush tickled as it made its way across her chest, the cold paint raising gooseflesh on her heated skin.

“What are you doing?” she asked, the words coming out a little breathier than she’d imagined.

Poe squinted before adding a stroke between her breasts. “Painting you.”

“Oh,” she said as his brush dipped lower on her abdomen. “I just assumed you added the colors to the canvas.”

“Nope. First I paint  _ you _ . Then I paint you. And don’t worry, the paint is safe for skin.”

“Oh,” she repeated, nodding her head. 

Poe put a hand on her shoulder to stop the motion. “I need you still. Ok?” He kissed her again, carefully not to disturb any of the paint.

“Ok.” 

And so he positioned her one final time, and Rey remained achingly still as his brush explored her body one stroke at a time. 

A splash of blue met the tattoo on one shoulder. Orange stripes on her chin. Twin green designs covering each nipple. She realized pretty quickly that he was using her own body art to dictate his designs, the colors across her body matching that of the tattoos.

With each pass of the brush, she found the ache between her thighs growing, every moment a struggle against the impulse to squeeze her thighs together. Her nipples peaked. Her eyes fell closed. Her breaths turned heavy.

And Poe painted on. Tracing one breast. Skimming down her hips. Dotting up either forearm. The bristles scraping softly across her over-sensitive skin.

By the time his brush stilled on her body, she was a quivering mess, her need evident in every line of her body.

Poe seemed to grasp that. “Just one more second, Sunshine.” 

There was a series of clicks as photos were taken, Rey unable to open her eyes just yet due to the paint on her lids.

“Wait, you aren’t even painting me?”

Poe chuckled. “I mean, you could lay here for six more hours in this exact position or…” he trailed off, his words replaced by his lips on hers. 

Figuring it was safe to move, she opened her eyes

“Wait, I’m wet,” she said in between panting breaths. Those lips never paused their exploration.

Poe chuckled into her neck, one hand dipping down to caress the space between her thighs. “I know.”

Her answering laugh was cut off by his mouth, his body moving to cover hers on the couch. They made quick work of his clothes, her paint covered hands skating across his bare skin. Each touch left a smudge in its wake, on him, on her, on the couch. 

They were making quite the painting together.

As he settled more fully between her thighs, she could feel him, hot and hard as he brushed against her. She pulled her lips away from his long enough to ask, “Condom?”

With a final kiss, he was off the couch and across the room, Rey deciding right then and there that she wasn’t going to ask why he kept a box of condoms in the painting shed.

He was back in an instant, fingers fumbling as he tore into the foil packet. She gently took it from his hands, sitting him back against the couch as she removed it from the package and rolled it on him with a quiet efficiency. Huh, it really was like riding a bike.

“Is this ok?” she asked as she threw one leg over to straddle his hips, up on her knees while she hovered over him. 

He laughed, his hands gripping either side of her hips. “I could ask you the same question.”

“So we’re both good?”

Poe’s lips found hers, the kiss lasting an aching 10 seconds before he responded, “God, yes.”

She wasted no time taking him in hand, lining herself up, and sinking down, both of them groaning as she took every inch he offered.

It had been well over a year since she’d been in this position (or any position), if she cared to count. Which she did not. So long, in fact, that she’d almost forgotten what it was like to take someone so deep you could practically feel him in your throat.

With her arms wrapped around Poe’s shoulders, she waited one breath and then another, giving herself a little time to get used to the feel of him inside her, willing her heart to slow down. For his part, Poe worked his way across her bare skin, kissing every inch of her he could reach before begging her to move.

“Please,” he said, his voice a plea in the shell of her ear.

And who was she to deny him when he asked so prettily, that lush mouth swollen from her kisses and dark eyes threatening to devour her whole. 

So she raised herself onto her knees, pausing long enough to press one more kiss to his mouth before dropping back down again. With his hands guiding her, she continued to move, his own hips coming up to meet her halfway. And with every press of those hips against her core, she can feel it build, the friction and heat that she knew would explode in fireworks if she could just get there.

Sweat slid down her body, creating rivulets in the half dried paint they were still sharing between their skin. 

Poe, sensing that she was close, reached between them, those talented fingers teasing at her clit just right.

Though her thighs started to burn and ache, she kept up the rhythm, knowing that she was just on the edge of something…

She came with a gasp, her fingertips digging into his back hard enough to leave bruises. Poe’s hands on her hips kept them moving, even as she fluttered around him every inch. Less than a minute and Poe was coming, his face buried in her painted flesh of her neck. 

Without him holding her up, Rey collapsed on his chest, letting her heart slow while he grew soft inside her.

They both hissed at the drag when she finally climbed off him, falling back against the couch with a giggle and a sigh. She watched as he dealt with the condom, Poe catching her staring when he turned around.

“What?”

She made a show of looking him up and down, no point in denying her obvious admiration of his form. All that lean muscle, honed over runs and long hours and probably more than his fair share of sex, an ass that just didn’t quit, not to mention the swirls of paint that moved over his skin in fascinating patterns, it made for a pretty picture.

“You’re a work of art.”

He smiled at her, his eyes going all soft and crinkly. “You only get one cheesy comment per day, and you blew it on that Titanic quote.”

Rey leaned back, her soft laugh feeling more natural than anything she’d done lately. “Well, you are covered in paint.”

“Oh shit,” he said, looking down as if just realizing it. Rey took note of the perfect handprint she’d left in the middle of his chest. Strange, she didn’t even remember touching him there. Granted, she’d touched a lot of him over the past half hour.

He grabbed his camera before heading back to the couch and taking her into his arms. The camera clicked.

“What’s this?” she asked, smiling as the flash went off again.

“Like you said, we’re a work of art.” 

He kissed her as the flash popped once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo... what did you think?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey get to know each other a little better after their painting session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're really into the meat of the story now. While I don't have the ended written quite yet, I'd say we're past the halfway mark. On that note, I hope you enjoy! We get a little more of Poe's backstory here.
> 
> Note, there is a sex scene at the end of this, so if it's not your thing, skip from “Yes,” whispered Rey to “So where does Kes think you are?”
> 
> As always, thanks for your continuing support!

Poe poured them each another glass of wine, bringing it over to Rey on the couch. The paint needed to dry completely before they could put clothes on and make a run for the basement shower, so naked wine it was. 

She was stretched out in all her glory, the paint mixing with the tattoos in delicious swirls from their earlier activities. He wanted to take another picture, but the 10 or so he’d already taken were probably enough. Didn’t want to come off as an old perv with his nudie photos. 

She scooted over to make room for him, eventually leaning against this chest. It was quiet for a moment, Poe tracing patterns over her inked shoulders. The work truly was exquisite.

“So you really work off photographs for all your models?” she finally asked after a spell. “Is there a reason behind it?”

Poe smiled. That was an easy one. “Do you want the bullshit answer I give the galleries about the play of light and background placement or the real one where I have a six-year old and I couldn’t have naked people in my apartment for seven hours at a time?”

Rey snorted. “I think I like the real answer better.” She went quiet, taking in the paintings, now lined against one wall. “God, I can’t believe you did all this and raised Bea on your own. I can barely handle an assistant’s job and Deacon at this point.”

Poe wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I’ve never really thought about it. Not that it wasn’t hard, there just wasn’t another option but to put my head down and do it. Make it work.” He kissed the spot where shoulder met neck. “And you will, too.”

She was quiet for a minute, thinking.

“Come on, I can practically hear the question on your mind.”

“What about you and your ex? What’s the story there?” She turned so she was facing him.

“Zorii and I were…” he trailed off, searching for the words.This whole thing was a little surreal, both of them naked and covered in paint, calmly talking about his ex. “Not serious. Never married. She was a musician, I was an artist, we’d known each other forever and were just messing around. And then Bea came along. 

“We decided to try it as a family, and she lasted three months. In her defense, Bea had colic pretty bad and neither of us had slept a wink since she was born, so when she said that she didn’t think she was cut out for the whole motherhood thing I just agreed. So she went on tour with the band, and that's where she's been ever since. We see her on Bea’s birthday, Christmas, and Mother’s Day depending on her schedule.”

“Oh, Poe. That’s awful.”

“Is it though? You know, kids can tell when someone doesn’t want to be there. I think it might actually be better this way. She knows her mom has a job that keeps her away, and I love the hell out of her in the meantime.”

“Yeah, they do know. I wish Ben would figure that out.” Rey turned thoughtful for a moment. “Wait a minute, Zorii, a musician, you don’t mean Bea’s mom is Zorii Bliss of the Spice Runners?”

He’d been waiting for her to put the pieces together. “One and the same.”

“Oh my god,” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “I have every one of their albums. I swear to god, _Abandonment Issues_ got me through like the first year of Deacon’s life.” She stopped, seeming to realize what she’d just said. “Oh, it makes a lot of sense now why that one hit so hard.”

“Yeah. It made things interesting, that’s for sure.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

“Why? We all have pasts. Mine is just a little more colorful, that’s all.” He looked up, his eye catching the clock on one wall. “Shit, we’ve got like 40 minutes until Dad gets back with the kids. I don’t know about you, but I definitely do not want to look like this when that happens.”

Rey was up and off the couch in an instant. “Nope.” 

She got dressed in record time, wandering through the rest of the shed while he tugged on his jeans. He watched as she paused at his desk, taking in the pages he’d left out there.

“Wait a second, did you write the  _ Seasons of Love _ books?” she sounded even more shocked than she was to find out that his ex was a famous singer. “Dio loved these. Honestly, he still does. I seriously cannot tell you how many times I’ve read him  _ Spring Sweetheart _ . But they’re written by…”

“Ed Allen,” Poe finished, shrugging on his sweatshirt. “Turns out, writing children’s books and painting nudes don’t actually mix. So it started out as a joke. Get it? Edgar Allen--”

“Poe.” She laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. “I take it these are for the forthcoming  _ Winter Wonderland _ ?”

He came up behind her, looking at the pages. “Actually it’s  _ Winter Well-Wisher. _ ” Rey winced. “I know, it’s terrible. But they wanted to keep the theme and the alliteration. Turns out, there’s not a great W word for friend. I’m working on it.”

Rey turned, a wide smile on her face. “You are just full of surprises, Poe Dameron.”

“I could say the same about you, Rey Kenobi.” He pressed a kiss to her lips, getting lost in her once again. It was really becoming a problem.

Rey pulled back. “Kids. Showers. Time running out.” 

Poe groaned, resting his forehead against hers. “Five more minutes?”

“Nobody said we had to shower separately.”

Poe’s eyes popped open, taking in the smirk on her face. He may actually love this woman.

They made a mad dash for the house, Rey giggling as he practically dragged her through the yard and down the basement steps. Kes had redone the whole thing a few years ago so it was nice down here, including the full bath off the main room. 

By the time they got the hot water running, stripped down, and let’s be honest, made out for a while longer, there wasn’t much time for anything besides cleaning. Though Poe certainly made the most of the time they had, hands and lips and tongue tracing just about every inch of Rey under the pulsing spray until the water ran clear.

Five very diverting minutes later, Poe was handing her a towel.

“When can I see you again?” he asked, bringing her in for a kiss. Now that he’d gotten a taste of Rey, he seemed pretty insatiable. 

“Tomorrow?”

He shook his head. “Basketball tournament like three hours away. Tuesday?”

“Swim meet. Wednesday?”

“Vocal lessons. And Mrs. Peterson makes you sit there the whole time.” Poe cupped her cheek, running his thumb back and forth across the bone. “What about Friday?”

“We have this Team Solo retreat all weekend,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. 

Poe smiled, giving her another kiss to soften the blow. “What’s Dio doing?”

“Technically, it’s Ben’s weekend, but Han is on call when that falls through.” 

Poe’s brows shot up. 

Rey laughed. “Yeah, it’s 50/50 that they’ll end up burning the house down, so I’m trusting the staff to be their impulse control.” She took a breath, her eyes finding his. “This is gonna be a lot harder than we thought.”

“Yup.” Poe sighed. “But something tells me you're worth it.”

And then they were kissing again, towels dropping to the floor, immediately forgotten.

She pressed against him, and god, he was actually getting hard again for like the third time that hour. 

But all too soon Rey was pulling back, Poe not even feeling a twinge of embarrassment when he chased her lips. 

“Poe,” she laughed, giving him the quickest peck before stepping back for real. “We gotta get dressed.”

“Right. Kids. Clothes. Yeah.”

They got dressed with limited kissing (he was only so strong), Rey towel-drying her hair as best she could before they headed upstairs.

Just in time for Kes and the kids to walk in.

“Mom!” shouted Dio, wrapping his arms around her hips. “The movie was so good! There was this pony…” he trailed off, looking up at her. “Why is your hair wet?”

“Uh,” Rey stumbled, her face going scarlet. His dad shook his head in the background. “I was helping Mr. Dameron with a painting and it got a little messy.”

That was wholly accurate, if completely missing the point. She was good at this.

“So that’s why Mr. Dameron’s hair is wet, too?”

“Ok, let’s say goodbye to Bea and thanks to Grandpa Kes,” said Rey, her eyes panicked when they met his over the kids’ heads. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

Poe chuckled to himself as goodbyes were said and Rey hustled Dio out, giving him a look so wistful over her shoulder that he swore his heart squeezed. 

When he looked over, his dad was staring at him. 

“What?” asked Poe, quite content to play dumb.

Kes wasn’t having it. “Oh, Poe.” He turned to Bea. “Upstairs, little lady. It’s waaaaay past your bedtime. Dad and I will be up in a minute.”

For once, she didn’t put up a fight, stifling a huge yawn as she took off for the steps.

Kes was still watching him, that obnoxious smirk on his face as he pointed to a smear on the doorjamb. “And what did I say about the paint?” And with that gem, he retreated upstairs, 

Poe was just about to shut the door when he heard Rey’s voice getting closer.

“Just get in the seat, I’ll be there in a second. I forgot something in the house.”

She took one step in the house, just far enough that Dio couldn’t see from the car, and kissed him full on the mouth. He had just enough time to wrap his brain around what was happening before she was pulling back, a smile on her face as she backed out of the house.

“Just wanted a proper goodbye,” she said before turning around and walking back to the car.

Poe brought his fingers up to his lips. There was no denying it now. That woman would be the death of him.

The days passed in a haze of work and activities and Poe. 

It turned out that her years as a de facto single mother (thanks, Ben) had given her superhuman organizational and time management skills, Rey able to take a full calendar and somehow find or make time, rearranging and tweaking so everything could fit. She was also a champion at saying no, a word she used a lot these days. Does the governor elect care to comment? No. Is she in her office? No. Can I get some time on her calendar? Unfortunately, no.

It felt good to be so good at something again. To be needed for something that wasn’t housekeeping or child rearing. Not that her favorite job in the world wasn’t being Deacon’s mom, because it was. It was just nice to have a slice of her own life after six plus years.

And Poe had been right, it was hard, balancing the work and the home, but somehow she just put her head down and did it. Though it probably didn’t hurt that Leia provided free childcare for all of her workers or that Dio was always welcome at the Dameron house if she got into a real pinch.

Speaking of Poe, he and Rey spent every free moment together. Which… honestly wasn’t much. They were lucky to find fifteen or twenty minutes alone a week. Granted, that was more than enough for what they needed.

“Yes,” whispered Rey, each pant and breath further fogging the windows. “Harder.”

She couldn’t be too loud, not when they didn’t want to draw any additional attention to the slightly rocking car they were currently fucking in. 

Poe chuckled low in her ear. “I think that’s up to you, Sunshine.”

Rey laughed, holding on to the headrest behind him for extra leverage as she lifted back up onto her knees before dropping to his lap once more. Poe’s mouth inched its way down her neck, his hands firm on her hips as she moved again.

“Come on,” Poe growled out as she ground down on him, his hips thrusting up to meet her movement for movement. 

Maybe it was how desperate he sounded or the way his fingers were surely leaving bruises on her fair skin, but Rey found herself right on the precipice.

“I’m close,” she breathed into his ear, one hand burying itself in his sweat dampened curls. 

There wasn’t much room, their bodies pressed close in the passenger seat, but Poe managed to get a hand between them, his talented fingers pushing her straight over the edge in no time at all.

Poe’s mouth swallowed her scream as she bore down on him, his own hips stuttering against her helpless movements. 

Rey was still panting when she smirked at him. “Your turn.”

She collapsed against his chest a second later, Poe kissing her hair before thrusting up into her in rough jolts. Knowing what he liked, what he needed, she went to work at his neck, sucking a mark there for good measure. The holiday party at school was tomorrow, and she wanted all the mombies to know what was hers.

Poe came with a groan in the next second, immediately burying his face in her hair as he stilled. She could feel his heart pound next to hers from where she lay against his chest, neither speaking as their precious minutes together ticked by.

“So where does Kes think you are?” she asked when she thought he was capable of answering.

Poe smiled, kissing her once before answering. “Grocery store. Then my studio to buy us some extra time.” Rey laughed. It was ridiculous, the two of them sneaking around like teenagers, fucking everywhere except a proper bed, but she couldn’t deny it added a certain spice to their nonrelationship. 

With Rey’s divorce so recent and the new job complicating things further, they had decided not to label it, whatever they were doing in the stolen moments in his shed or her car or once very, very quietly in a locked supply closet at the school. And Rey was more than fine keeping it that way. The last time she’d defined a relationship, she’d ended up married six months later.

Poe brushed back an unruly lock of her hair, tucking it behind one ear. “Dio still good?”

She took a quick look at the baby monitor she’d dug out specifically for occasions like this. “Dead to the world.”

They were in her car, parked in the driveway that ran alongside her house. At least they weren’t visible from the street. Though if either of her neighbors had looked out their back windows in the last ten minutes, they’d certainly gotten an eyeful.

Not that they were naked. No, this was a clothes-on kind of assignation, Rey’s work skirt up around her waist, and Poe’s jeans open just enough to get at his goods.

“What?” he asked, Rey realizing a second later that she’d been smiling at her own thoughts.

She brought a hand up to touch his rough cheek. “Nothing. Just thinking that we’ll eventually do this in a bed.”

Immediately she regretted the words as Poe’s face took on a guilty expression. He’d been very vocal about his intentions with her from the beginning. Poe, it seemed, did not do casual, but he’d made an exception to give her time and space to figure things out. Which she was grateful for. But with each passing day, she noticed the arrangement wearing on him.

Which was why Poe’s next words were no surprise. “Come with me,” he said, eyes bright in the dark car. “To Coruscant. For the showing. A whole weekend to ourselves, a giant bed at the hotel, room service. The whole nine yards.”

No, his words were no surprise. But hers certainly were. “Yeah, okay.”

Poe’s eyes went wide. “Wait, really?”

She laughed, kissing the surprise right off his face. “Yes, really.”

“Does this mean…”

“It means we can talk about it then,” she said, not wanting to get ahead of herself. If she was being honest, the whole prospect of getting serious with anyone, even someone as amazing as Poe Dameron, terrified her. 

“You know we’re going to have to tell people. My dad, your former in-laws if they’re gonna be the ones watching Dio.”

“Are you sure you want me to come?” laughed Rey. “You certainly are doing a fine job of trying to convince me not to go.”

“No, I just…” Poe trailed off, letting his eyes flutter closed for a second. “I want you to be sure.”

Rey smiled, bringing her hand up to his cheek once more. “What did I do to deserve you, Poe Dameron?”

“So we’re really doing this?” The hope in his smile was enough to break her damn heart.

She nodded. “Yeah, we’re doing this.”

And the next day when Karen, queen of the mombies, noticed the hickey peeking out of Poe’s collar, Rey made sure to make direct eye contact and smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you looking forward to the trip to Coruscant? I can say that it's a lot of fun and quite sexy. Let me know what you think in the comments!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey head to Coruscant for his opening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As is a pretty consistent warning over the next few chapters, there be smut here. If that is not your thing, skip when they head into the bathroom until "Poe's eyes practically bugged out of his head.."
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Bags were packed. Canvases were already with the gallery. And Bea had insisted on not one, but three tearful goodbyes.

“You’re gonna be gone for three days,” she sobbed, arms wrapped around him.

Poe petted her curls affectionately. “Sweetie, it’s not even three full days. And only two sleeps.”

“B-but you’re lea-leaving me!”

Jesus, she made it sound like he was abandoning her with strange relatives, not the grandfather she lived with full time. This is what he got for never doing anything without her those first six years. 

“Grandpa’s gonna help you FaceTime, and you know you can call me any time.”

“B-but you w-won’t be here.”

Poe kissed her scrunched up forehead. “I’ll be back Sunday night, okay? Now let’s wipe that face and get you to school.”

Thankfully, there were no more tears at drop off, Bea making a beeline for Dio as soon as she got out of the car. Speaking of Dio, for once he wasn’t in his uniform of sweater vests and bowties, but a pair of jeans and what looked like a pint-sized t-shirt with the name of a band that broke up no less than 20 years before he was born. Weird. He’d have to ask Rey about it.

And there she was, her hair shining in the early morning sun. She looked fairly casual for once, her hair loose but not styled, in a pair of skinny jeans and her coat, sunglasses perched on the top of her head. Poe sidled over.

“You ready?” he asked, hands in the pockets of his leather coat. 

Her eyes flashed in the light, Rey doing nothing to hide the appraising look she gave him. “You got a haircut.” 

He ran his hand over his newly shorn curls a little self consciously. “Yeah. Gotta look the part if I want the buyers.”

“I like it.” She smiled that secret smile at him, even as she raised a hand to wave to one of the mombies. Blonde Leader slapped on a fake smile and waved back, still obviously smarting after the holiday party. Poe tried not to chuckle.

“How’d it go this morning with Dio? Any tears?”

Rey snorted. “No. Han lets him stay up all night and sleep with the dog. That kid couldn’t wait to be rid of me.” She turned to him. “Bea?”

“You’d have thought I told her I was giving her up for adoption. I was worried she was going to dehydrate. I put PediaLyte in her lunch.”

“Oh no,” she said with a laugh, taking her sunglasses off her head and putting them on her face. “Are you sure it’s okay that the Solos bring Dio over on Sunday morning?”

“Of course. Dad’s on pancake duty and maybe Dio can bring some little bit of joy to Bea’s weekend.”

“You really think it’s gonna be that bad?”

Poe laughed. “No. I’m pretty sure she’s already forgotten all about it. Turns out, six-year olds are highly distractible.”

“And thank god for that,” said Rey, leaning over to press a quick kiss to his lips. Out in public.

He could get used to this.

They dropped her car at Kes’s and then they were off, the three hour drive to Coruscant flying by to the tune of Poe’s specially curated road trip mix. Somehow, Rey knew every word to every song, singing along in a high, clear voice that turned Poe on more than he cared to admit. He’d always had a thing for singers. 

Poe joined in, his own admittedly good voice complementing hers perfectly. It made him want to dust off the old guitar he hadn’t touched since the Zorii days, when he used to play with the Spice Runners when they were playing shitty clubs in the seedy parts of Coruscant. Yet another thing he gave up all those years ago.

What he would never admit to Rey was that she was the first person he’d been with since Zorii left.

It wasn’t really a choice, at least not a conscious one. Poe needed a connection, and while he and Zorii hadn’t really been together-together, they’d known each other for years. Had been good friends before…. well, everything. 

So when she left, he put all that on the back burner. And with a child and a burgeoning career and no real help around the house, there wasn’t exactly much opportunity for dating. So, he remained celibate. Until Rey.

If only the woman next to him knew how stupidly in love with her he was. 

The realization had been dawning on him - slowly - for the last month or so over long talks and short phone calls and fleeting moments in the pick up or drop off lines. He loved her. Just saying the words in his own mind felt like a relief, the final piece of some cosmic puzzle clicking together. 

But Poe was a chicken, so Rey sang on, none the wiser. 

Though he couldn’t really blame himself, not when Rey had made it clear from the beginning that she wasn’t ready for something serious. For once it wasn’t Poe pumping the brakes, searching for some spark of connection that wasn’t there. He had everything he needed; now, he just needed for Rey to catch up.

He couldn’t help but wonder if this weekend meant she was doing just that. To say he had been surprised when she agreed to come with him would be the understatement of the century. Every step of the way, Rey had insisted on keeping him at arm’s length (which, the more he learned about her ex, the more he understood), but she had not only sat for his painting, but agreed to accompany him to the showing. Overnight. In a different city. That had to mean something, right?

Poe nearly jumped out of his skin a second later when a soft hand touched his shoulder.

“You okay?” asked Rey, her concern plain on her face. “You stopped singing.”

Poe smiled, taking one hand off the wheel to link with hers. “Yeah, just lost in thought.” He brought it up to his lips for a kiss before settling both hands down by the shifter. “I’ve been meaning to ask, how did you end up getting Dio into jeans?”

Of all the things he’d said to Rey recently, this was the one that made her blush. “Oh, you know him. He just found a new style mentor.”

“Who?” Poe took his eyes off the road just long enough to see her smile.

“You.”

“Me?” Poe looked down at his own jeans and yes, an old band shirt. 

“Yup. Thankfully jeans come cheaper than suits. Though if you could start working sweatpants into your wardrobe, I’d be eternally grateful.”

Poe laughed, as a welcome certainty settled in his chest. Not only did he love the woman next to him, who was currently singing along to Mr. Brightside at top volume, but he loved her son, too. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Deacon or Rey. Now, he only had to tell her.

But the time was never right. Not when the chorus came up and Poe was obliged to belt it out with her. Or 20 minutes later when the city finally came into view and Rey’s eyes went wide in barely contained excitement. Or 20 minutes after that when they walked into their hotel room and she threw herself on the king bed.

“Oh my god, this is heaven,” she said, starfishing out completely on the mattress. “Have I mentioned that this is heaven?”

Poe sat on the edge of the bed, bending over to press a soft kiss to her lips. “Once or twice. But don’t you have a king bed at home?”

“Yes, but that one comes with a job I have to get up for and a house I need to maintain and a very inquisitive six-year-old who likes to take up half the bed. This one only comes with a handsome artist who I’m going to have my way with.” At that, she tugged on his t-shirt, her mouth claiming his as she dragged him over her body.

Poe went easily, letting himself get lost in her like he always did. He wanted to stay here with her in this moment forever, but as she started to lift his shirt over his head, the rational part of his brain took over. 

So he pulled back, Rey’s lips chasing him halfway. “It also comes with a show we have to get to in less than an hour. And it’s at least a 10 minute walk.”

Rey dropped her head onto the pillow with a frustrated groan. 

“Listen,” he said, dropping a kiss onto the column of her throat. “I fully plan on making it up to you on this very bed. More than once.”

That got a smile back on her face. “Promise?”

“Promise. As many times as I can get it up.”

Rey laughed, pushing him off her. “Then move, I’ve got to get ready.”

He watched as she disappeared into the bathroom with her bag, not emerging until twenty minutes later when he politely rapped on the door. He’d forgotten what it was like to have a full grown woman around to hog the bathroom.

“Uh, Rey? I need to get in there, too.”

The door unlocked a second later. 

“Sorry, I just assumed you were, you know, ready,” she said, turning back to the mirror to fix her mascara.

Poe couldn’t even remember to be mad about it when he was pinned to the spot by her reflection.

Her eyes were rimmed in black, the lines extending out past her lids in little wings. The hazel popped against the darkness, a gray so bright it could almost be silver as it drank in the vanity lights. Red lips pursed as she applied a final coat to her lower lashes. Her hair brushed the tops of her shoulders in soft waves, arms bared in a black sleeveless dress. The bright splashes of color drew his eye, his fingers itching to trace the patterns across her skin.

“I thought you needed the bathroom?” she said, one brow raised in her reflection. 

Poe shook himself out of his stupor. “Right. Just distracted by your beauty, Sunshine.”

She waved him off with a laugh, but Poe pressed in, placing a kiss on her cheek. Somehow she smelled even more amazing than usual. “No kidding. You look amazing.”

“Thank you,” she replied, kissing him on the cheek and laughing as she wiped the bright red lips off his face. “Whoops. Time to reapply.”

Poe made quick work of his own routine, adding a little product to his much shorter curls, and changing into a fresh t-shirt before donning the blazer he’d bought for the occasion. He wanted to impress, but he could only go so far.

It was mild for late January as they set off for the gallery, Rey’s hand in his. Her eyes were wide as she tried to take in every inch of the city. He had a whole big tour planned for the rest of the weekend to show her the sights. They just had to make it through tonight.

They were just about a block away from the gallery when Rey turned to him. “You know, I’m really digging the undercut. It’s almost like having a whole new boyfriend.”

Poe’s head snapped to attention. “I’m your boyfriend?”

“What did you think we were doing?” she asked with a far too innocent smile.

The first thing that came to his head was “fucking” but he immediately dismissed it. “Not sure. We’ve never really defined it.”

“Well, now we defined it,” she said in that matter of fact way of hers. 

Poe laughed, pausing just outside the door to the gallery. “Now that that’s out of the way, are you sure you aren’t going to miss having something to grab onto?”

She looked up at his hair, making a show of trying to decide. “I don’t know, ask me later tonight.” And with a gleam in her eye, she walked through the door.

____________

The gallery was nothing like Rey expected. Hell, she wasn’t even sure what she expected, just that it wasn’t this.

A lovely attendant took her coat, while another offered her a glass of champagne and a third shoved a tray of chicken satay under her nose.

White walls dominated the space, making the paintings and photos and other pieces hung upon them the main attractions. Here and there installations and sculptures stood in the center of the room, the milling crowd flowing around them like water in a stream. 

It turned out that the Level I Gallery was popular among the who’s who in Coruscant, and it was quite the coup that Poe had been chosen to show here. This was his big night, and he wanted to share it with her.

Speaking of Poe, he joined her a second later and offered his arm. “Shall we?”

So it was arm in arm they walked through the space, pausing every few feet to take in another work. Rey recognized none of the names, but apparently there were some big ones, and Poe was displayed among them. More than one person approached them as they made their way through the rooms, nothing but praise for Poe’s work on their lips. 

The anticipation continued to build, Rey practically vibrating out of her skin by the time they made it to the final room, the one where Poe’s series, herself included, hung.

Though Poe had offered to show her the finished product ahead of time, she’d politely declined. No, the first time she saw herself on canvas, she wanted it to be in all its glory, hanging among the rest of the series displayed for all to see.

The crowd grew thicker as they made their way through, having to stop more than once due to a literal wall of people. Absently, she wondered what the draw was. There must be someone famous around here.

But as they finally drew level with the series, it hit her. It was Poe’s paintings they were lining up to see, his work that was drawing excited murmurs and whispered conversation. And when the crowd parted for them, she finally understood why.

They were amazing, each and every one, so much more vibrant here than in the dim light of the shed. Rey stepped forward, examining them each in turn, saving one for the very last.

She took a deep breath, turning to the final portrait in the series, the one with arguably the most crowd hovering.

In the moment, she’d been too engrossed by the feel of the brush against her skin and the Poe of it all to really take in what he’d been painting, but as she stood in front of the finished product, she couldn’t help but stare in awe.

It was breathtaking. That was the only way to describe the painting in front of her. The painting  _ of _ her. 

Somehow, he’d taken her own designs and expanded upon them, stretching them across her entire body in stunning detail. It was so perfect, she was almost surprised to find patches of her own skin blank when she looked down at her hands. She was smiling a half smile that made it look like she had a secret, her entire face transformed with the expression (and the paint). Her eyes sparkled down at her, bright even with all the other colors surrounding them. With her hair scraped back off her face and a dimple showing, it looked nothing like her. If it weren’t for the tattoos, she’d be completely unrecognizable.

But the people around her were starting to notice, whispers breaking out.

“Look, it’s her.”

“The tattoos, they’re real.”

She had debated flying under the radar, and simply covering her arms would have made her completely incognito in the crowd. Not a soul would have recognized her, of that she was certain. But now, with her arms and soul bared for all to see, she could feel the eyes on her.

It had been years since she’d worn anything sleeveless in public, since around the time Ben moved her to Yavin with him. He didn’t like the attention they attracted. But Rey was done hiding.

“You okay?” came Poe’s soft voice from next to her. At some point, she’d grabbed onto his hand and was holding on for dear life.

She swallowed down some of the emotion. “Poe, it’s beautiful.”

“No.  _ You’re _ beautiful. It’s all you.” He looked at her, cocking his head as if trying to decide whether or not to say what was on his mind. Eventually, the truth won out. “And in case you didn’t realize, I love you.”

She had realized. It was impossible to look at that painting and not see it. Hell, it was probably evident to every single person in the room. There were no words to express how she felt in that moment, so she did the only thing she could think of. She turned and kissed him.

A wolf whistle went up, accompanied by some scattered applause, Rey blushing furiously as they pulled apart a second later. 

What they needed was a little privacy. 

So Rey grabbed his hand and dragged him back through the ever-growing crowd, more and more people joining the throngs in front of Poe’s work. 

“Rey, I probably should stay and talk to people…”

Rey continued to tug him along. “They’ll still be there when we get back.”

“Wait a second, where are we going?”

But that question answered itself a second later when Rey found the door she’d been looking for. The one to the unisex bathroom.

It finally dawned on him when she opened the door.

“Wait, do you mean…”

She kissed the question straight off his lips. For his part, Poe pressed her against the now closed door, Rey reaching behind to lock it. His lips trailed down her neck, Rey’s hand buried in his now shorter hair. 

“Condom?” she managed to pant out, Poe pausing his explorations to give her a crestfallen look.

“Shit, no. I wasn’t exactly planning on this.”

Rey smirked, digging into the little purse slung across her back. “Always be prepared, Dameron,” she said, handing over her emergency condom. He better have some back in the room. “Boy scout motto.”

Poe snatched the packet with a grin. “How do you want to do this?”

But Rey was already a step ahead of him, arms braced on the sink as she stepped out of her underwear and lifted up the skirt of her dress.

She heard Poe take in a sharp breath behind her. “Have I mentioned that you’re my favorite? Because you’re definitely my favorite.”

“Less talk, more action, Dameron. We only have a few minutes before someone comes looking for you.”

“Right,” he laughed, the sharp sound of his zipper echoing in the small space. He patted the space between her thighs fondly, a slight moan escaping his lips as he declared, “You’re ready for me.”

“Always,” she said in response and barely a breath later he plunged in from behind.

Her hands gripped the porcelain of the sink as he pulled back out, snapping his into her a second later. 

Distantly, she realized that her dress was getting wrinkled beyond repair and the front of his jeans would surely be a mess after this but she found she couldn’t care as each thrust pressed her further into the edge of the sink. There would be twin bruises on her hip bones tomorrow for sure.

A knock at the door upped the ante, Rey calling out, “Just a second!” as Poe continued to pound into her. 

He snickered behind her, his hips pausing their movement.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered, grinning like a maniac. Somehow the person waiting just made this all hotter. “You gotta finish, quick.”

“Not without you,” he practically growled into her ear, those talented fingers dipping down to play with her clit.

She bit down on her lips to keep from crying out, her back arching up as she tried to chase the feeling, hips meeting his thrust for thrust.

A second later she came with a soft curse, Poe lasting three or four pumps before spilling into the condom and collapsing against her back. They only had a few breaths to slow their hearts before Poe was pulling out and dealing with the condom while Rey tried her best to smooth out her dress and check her makeup in the mirror. Barely smudged at all.

Poe’s eyes practically bugged out of his head when instead of stepping back into her panties, Rey simply stuffed them into her purse. 

“What?” she asked, a smirk playing across her lips. She knew exactly what she was doing. “Something to keep it interesting until we can get back to the hotel.”

He shook his head and smiled, bringing her back into his arms. “You are going to be the death of me.” His lips swallowed her answering laugh.

Another knock on the door finally broke them apart.

“We probably need to get back out there.” He tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear.

“Probaby.”

He stepped back. “How do I look?”

There was a slight wet spot on the front of his jeans, but the blazer covered it well enough, and Rey gave her dress one final smooth down. Once they were as presentable as they were gonna get, Poe reached for the door handle, Rey pulling him back just before he opened the door.

They stood staring at each other, his face coming ever closer when another sharp rap at the door had them jumping apart.

“Right. Outside. People waiting.” Poe’s hand was back on the handle. 

“Finally,” snapped the man on the other side of the door, his eyes going wide when Rey followed Poe out. 

“All yours,” answered Rey with a smile.

They waited until the door had closed behind him to burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are we liking Coruscant so far?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise guest makes Rey see Poe in a different light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Babu Frik voice: Hey-heeeeey!
> 
> Needed a week away from posting to get my head on straight, but I'm back and hoping that folks are still interested in this story. So, ready or not, here is the next chapter, no warnings necessary. Hope you enjoy!

Rey stood in front of the portrait, looking up at herself in all her glory. Maybe it was a bit vain, but she found she couldn’t look away, even as one of the buyers hovering around pulled Poe aside to talk. 

It looked like a love letter hanging on that wall, no words necessary to describe exactly how they felt about each other. Because it wasn’t just Poe exposed by what he painted, but Rey as well, the expression on her face speaking for her plain as day.

Adoringly. That’s how she was gazing out of that canvas. At the artist. 

She would have blamed it on artistic license, accused Poe of taking liberties, but the framed reference photo was right there, plain as day (though not for sale, Poe promised). It was a perfect likeness, down to that look on her face.

“Damn, you two must really love each other,” came a strangely familiar voice next to her. Rey had been so engrossed in the painting, she hadn’t noticed anyone come up.

Rey smiled, tearing her eyes away from the wall for the first time in minutes only to find herself face to face with Zorii Bliss.

Shit, she was beautiful up close, all perfect skin and perfect hair and perfect teeth as she grinned at Rey like a cat who got a canary. There was a moment where all Rey could do was stare as her brain tried to decide whether to fangirl or run away.

Zorii had no such problem. “You must be Sunshine,” she said, quoting the name of the painting as she stuck out a hand. “I’m Zorii, Poe’s ex.”

As if in a daze, Rey accepted her hand. “I know.” Realizing what she’d just said, she shook herself mentally. “I mean, I’m a big fan. And my name is actually Rey.” Good god, this is not the impression she wanted to leave on Bea’s mom (or you know, her favorite artist) but here they were.

“Nice to meet you, Rey.” Zorii’s smile was just shy of a smirk as she sized up Rey, her green eyes bright in the gallery lights. She turned back to the painting and Rey’s naked form. “Though, I feel like I already know you.”

Rey blinked, unsure of what to say to that. “Yeah, it’s a little surreal.”

“I can only imagine,” replied Zorii, an almost wistful look on her face. It was odd for a woman whose face was regularly plastered on tabloids and magazines, her voice heard on nearly every radio station.

Then it dawned on her. “Wait, Poe never painted you?”

“God, no. He had all these rules about work and play back then. It was bad enough in his eyes that we were together when he was playing with the Spice Runners. Though, it looks like his opinion on that has changed a bit over the years.” She directed a pointed look at Rey. “But anyway, how did you two meet?”

Rey struggled to wrap her head around that little revelation. “Uh, Bea and my son, Deacon, are friends. Wait, Poe was in the Spice Runners?”

“Yeah, he didn’t mention? We had to replace him when we hit it big and he didn’t want to come on tour with us.” Zorii paused, smiling at something over Rey’s shoulder. “Oh hey, Poe. We were just talking about you.”

Next to Rey, Poe’s eyes were wide with fear, his chest heaving slightly as if he’d run the length of the gallery to get over here. “Right. That’s what I was afraid of.”

Zorii ignored the dig. “I can’t believe you never told her that you were a founding member of the Spice Runners.”

Poe shot a glance over at Rey before shrugging. “It was so long ago, it didn’t seem important.”

“Not important?” Zorii laughed, turning her attention to Rey. “We wrote the entirety of _Abandonment Issues_ in like a month and a half right after Bea was born. Two people, locked in an apartment with a screaming child, breaking up and writing about it. I swear to god, that whole month was like a fever dream. Just finishing an entire album in that time would have been amazing in and of itself but we were doing it in between feedings and tummy time and during naps. I don’t think we slept more than an hour at a time those first few months. This one’s guitar was pretty much the only thing she’d stop crying for.”

Rey looked over at Poe with new eyes. “You wrote _Abandonment Issues_?”

For his part, Poe looked a little sheepish, clearing his throat a second later. “As fun as this trip down memory lane has been, what are you doing here, Zorii?”

“What? Can’t one old friend show support for another by coming to his big opening?”

“Not when she blows into town without so much as calling her daughter.” Poe crossed his arms over his chest, the look on his face flat and without pity.

Zorii’s lips twisted into a wry smile. Rey liked her less and less with each passing second. What was that old saying about meeting your heroes? “How do you know I wasn’t getting to that?”

“Because I know,” he said matter of factly. 

“Well, you’re wrong.” She actually managed to look a little hurt for a second, fixing her expression almost instantaneously. “I was just about to tell you that I’m going to be around for a while. Thought Bea might be able to come stay with me for spring break.”

Rey hated to admit it, but there was hope in Zorii’s voice, a silent plea that Poe seemed immune to.

“A whole week? With you? You do know you have to like feed her and entertain her, right? She’s not a cat”

“Cats need food, too. And I think I can handle my own daughter for a week.”

Rey watched as he battled himself, his face cycling through anger, annoyance, and worry before finally settling on resignation. He sighed. “Bea will be so excited.” Zorii smiled, the look genuine for once. But Poe wasn’t done yet. “But, we’re not telling her until all the details are worked out. And so help me god, if you back out…”

“I’m not gonna back out,” she said, not letting him finish the sentence. “I promise. I’ll call you on Monday to firm up plans?” Her face looked so hopeful, Rey couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.

Poe nodded. “Yeah, Monday.”

A man in a very skinny tie chose that moment to approach their little group. “Uh, Poe? We need to go over a few things if you don’t mind.”

“Right.” He looked from Rey to Zorii and back again, his eyes locking with her own. “You good here?”

Rey smiled. “Yeah, we’re good.”

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, lingering a little longer than strictly necessary with the current company. Pulling back, he turned to Zorii. “Monday?”

“Monday.”

They both watched him go, Rey unable to stop herself from admiring the view. Those jeans were doing the lord’s work. She couldn’t wait to get him out of them. Again.

She turned back to find Zorii watching her. “What?”

Zorii smiled, all of that earlier bluster having disappeared as soon as Poe agreed to the spring break arrangement. “I like you.”

It felt like a trap, and Rey’s face must have said just that because Zorii laughed at her a second later.

“I’m not messing with you. That man looks happier than I’ve seen him in years, and something tells me that’s your doing.”

Rey found herself opening up in spite of herself. “It’s pretty new.”

“Well, here’s some unsolicited advice. Don’t let him get away. Take it from someone who knows. They don’t make ‘em like Poe Dameron anymore.”

Rey narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to be nice to me or get him back, because I honestly can’t tell at this point.”

The woman in front of her burst out laughing. “That door is closed and locked and we most definitely threw away the key at some point. No, I’m just trying to work on fixing things with my daughter.”

“Bea is a good one.”

“She really is.” Zorii smiled again, the expression softening her features and sending out a fan of fine lines from her eyes. It made her look almost human. “On that note, I’m going to head home and start kid-proofing my apartment. Something tells me my grandmother's antique china does not mix with six-year olds.” She stuck out a hand, Rey accepting it with a shake. “It was nice meeting you, Rey. I get the feeling we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

At that, she turned and swept out of the gallery, whispers following her all the way to the door.

____________

Poe was only half listening to James as he prattled on about percentages and commission. He supposed this was pretty important, what with him trying to sell the paintings and all, but he couldn’t focus when Rey and Zorii were chatting it up barely 50 feet away.

Because of fucking course Zorii showed up 20 minutes after the first time he’d told Rey he loved her. It was almost like she had a radar for when her presence would have the greatest impact on his life. Granted, from here it looked like Rey was holding her own. They were smiling. Why were they smiling?

“Poe?”

Poe blinked, turning back to James. “Sorry, you were saying?”

“Competing offers. We have three.”

“Right. On which one?”

James gave him a look. “Guess.”

Poe followed his gaze to where Zorii and Rey were standing. Hell, where everyone was standing. It looked like half the attendees of the opening were crowded in front of Sunshine, most oblivious to the fact that the inspiration stood right in front of them.

She was beautiful, both the woman and the painting of her. By far his best work. James seemed to agree.

“You know, you’re gonna get a lot of buzz for that,” he said, nodding over at the painting.

“You think?”

“The Times was already here to take pictures. They’re doing a whole spread.”

“Really.” He made a mental note to warn Rey. They’d talked a little bit about what to expect, but he hadn’t imagined this much attention in his wildest dreams. “What are we talking with these offers?”

James rattled off a figure that made Poe give a low whistle. 

“Shit.”

“Shit, indeed,” said James, giving him a slap on the back. “Welcome to the big times. We good to accept highest offer?”

“If they’re anything like that, yes.”

“Lovely doing business with you, Poe,” said James, Poe accepting the handshake.

“Same, buddy. Same,” he replied, finally turning to make his way back over to Rey. 

By the time he fought through the crowd, Zorii was nowhere to be found.

“Do I even want to know what that was about?” he asked, draping an arm around Rey’s waist. 

Rey cocked her head. “I think she may have given us her blessing?”

Poe burst out laughing. “Of course she did.” 

“So are we going to talk about the fact that you wrote my favorite album ever?”

Leaning over, he pressed another kiss to her lips. “What do you say we get out of here?” He pitched his voice low, Rey’s answering smile telling him she heard the meaning loud and clear.

“I’d say you were trying to distract me.”

“Is it working?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Duh.”

Poe grabbed her coat from the attendants in record time, both giggling as he ushered Rey out the door. 

The night had turned chilly, Rey cuddling close as they walked back to the hotel arm in arm.

“That was really nice what you did for her back there.”

She was looking at him like it was something special. Poe waved her off. “It was the right thing to do.”

The look on her face turned incredulous. “You do know how rare that is, right? Someone just doing the right thing.”

“Bea deserves to know her mom, no matter my feelings on the subject. And if Zorii finally decided to get her act together, I’m certainly not going to be the thing keeping Bea from doing just that.” Poe shrugged.

Rey was staring at him, an unreadable expression on her face. “You’re a good dad, Poe. And a better man.”

By way of answer, he simply pressed a kiss to her temple. 

But she wasn’t done yet. “And in case you didn’t realize, I love you, too.”

That stopped him in his tracks.

“You love me?” If he was being honest, he hadn’t expected to hear it from her. Especially when he’d just blurted it in the gallery 20 minutes after becoming official. And her response had been to fuck him in the bathroom. Not that he was complaining, he just wasn’t expecting any more heart to hearts.

And he would have been fine with that. He would have waited until the end of time to hear her say it. Yet, here they were, in the middle of the sidewalk on one of the busiest streets in Coruscant, those three little words on her lips.

She laughed at whatever look crossed his face. “Why are you so surprised? You said it first.”

“Yeah, well I didn’t expect to hear it back.”

A quick look of shock passed over her face at his honesty, earning him a little honesty in return. “Well, I didn’t expect to say it.” One of her hands came up to cup his cheek, her thumb sliding against the carefully controlled scruff. “But it’s true, and it has been for a while. I’ve just been too scared to admit it.”

“And now?”

She smiled that secret smile he’d captured so perfectly on canvas. The one that most likely just made him a ton of money. “And now, I know the truth. I couldn’t have chosen a better man if I tried.”

Something swelled in his chest at her words, Poe unable to stop himself from surging forward to claim her lips with his own. Rey responded in kind, her arms wrapping around his neck as her tongue breached his lips. All around them, the flow of people continued on, oblivious to the moment they were sharing outside of how it inconvenienced them.

“Get a room!” shouted someone as they passed, Poe finally breaking away a second later to shout back, “We have one!”

Rey threw her head back and laughed, the sound music to his ears. 

“We should, you know,” she said, her lips stained pink and swollen from his kisses. She bit down on the lower one. “Get to that room.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” 

He grabbed her hand, dragging her the remaining half a block to the hotel. It felt like an eternity, walking through the lobby, waiting for the elevator, riding to the tenth floor with an elderly couple, all while trying to keep their hands off each other. As soon as the doors closed on grandma and grandpa, he had Rey in his arms, pressing her against the far wall while he kissed down her neck.

“I…” she panted out, both hands buried in his hair. “...was promised…” She grabbed on to what was left of his curls, Poe barely registering the pull as she tugged him off her neck. “A bed.”

“That you were,” he laughed, stepping back to give her some breathing room. With a tug of her hand, he started down the hall to their room.

“And don’t think that I’ve forgotten about the Spice Runners thing,” she said as he waved the key in front of the door. It admitted them with a cheerful beep. “We are gonna talk about that.”

Poe peeled her out of her coat, already starting to walk her backwards toward the bed. “Later?”

“Definitely later,” she replied as the back of her knees hit the mattress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please drop me a line and let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey make good use of the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this first half of this is pure smut. It was supposed to be in the last chapter but this configuration worked better for the chapter breaks so here we are. If that's not your thing, skip until "They collapsed back against the mattress in a heap of skin and sweat. "
> 
> But the rest of this is a little more of the backstory people have been asking for. So, I hope you enjoy!

She dropped down to the bed with a bounce, tugging on the lapels of Poe’s blazer to bring him along. 

And he went willingly, no resistance at all as he slotted himself over her, kissing down her neck. She purred under his attentions, her hands roaming over his body, finding their way under the jacket and shucking it off his shoulders. His t-shirt joined it on the ground a second later.

Her legs opened to accommodate him, Poe pressing up to capture her lips with his own. She deepened the kiss immediately, legs wrapping around his hips to bring him closer and hips bucking up to find any friction she could.

It took everything he had to pull away from her warm and willing body, but there was something he’d wanted to do for literal months, and he couldn’t get it out of his head.

“Hey,” protested Rey, trying to tug him back over her. 

Poe laughed, dodging her grabby hands. “Wait, I want to try something different.”

One delicately shaped brow arched up at him. “I’m listening.”

“I want to put my mouth on you,” he stated, matter of fact. He couldn’t believe that they hadn’t done it already, but sneaking around in closets and cars wasn’t exactly conducive to the kind of worship he was planning. 

“Then why did you stop?”

Poe smirked at the look on her face. “Not there.” He took one hand and fondly petted at the space between her thighs. With no underwear to block him, his hand came away wet. 

“Oh. Right. I’ve never…” He watched with no little bit of satisfaction as a blush blossomed on the creamy skin of her neck, crawling up until it settled on her cheeks. “I’ve only been with one person, and it wasn’t his thing.”

Yet another strike against Ben Solo. How that man could pass up the three course meal that was Rey Kenobi, Poe would never understand.

“Well, do you want to see if it’s yours?”

Poe waited with bated breath, resisting the urge to touch her while she made up her mind. 

Rey caught her lower lip between her teeth, an overly pensive look on her face as she pretended to think it through, dragging it out and teasing him that so when she finally answered with an emphatic, “Hell, yes,” he practically pounced on her.

Her lips were sweet as candy as he kissed her, Rey pushing him off a second later. “I thought we were going lower,” she said, a shit-eating grin on her face. 

“Hell, yes,” he parrotted, Rey laughing as he settled between her open legs.

Ducking under the skirt of her dress, he went to work, flattening his tongue against her to lick a stripe from cunt to clit. Immediately, her thighs clamped around his ears, Poe burying his laugh into her pussy. 

He popped his head out from under her skirt. “Good?”

“Don’t. Stop,” she gritted out, one hand pushing him back under the tent of her dress.

Always good at following directions, he did exactly as told, applying lips and tongue and sweet, sucking kisses until her entire body went taught, muscles releasing a second later with a shout. Not to be smug, but he was pretty sure he’d just beaten his best time.

“So?” he asked, coming up for air when her muscles stopped jumping under his continued attention. No point in doing a thing halfway.

Rey was laid back against the pillows, her chest heaving and that pretty flush tinting her cheeks. “Definitely my thing.”

He laughed, burying his face in her neck. “Why are you still dressed?” he asked into the soft skin there.

Rey smiled up at him, all trace of that red lipstick gone from her now kiss-bitten lips. “I was wondering the very same thing.” 

With some maneuvering, she flipped onto her stomach, Poe recognizing the request.

Slowly, so slowly, he pulled the zipper down, revealing inch after inch of that perfect, ink filled skin. His lips followed behind, tracing the line of her spine in kisses.

She wasted no time shedding the black fabric as soon as he finished, gently pushing him back on the bed.

He went willingly, smirking up at her the whole time. “Oh, so it’s gonna be like that tonight.” 

There was no denying he loved when she took charge. And Rey knew it.

“All. Night. Long,” she answered, each word punctuated by a kiss.

His toes curled in anticipation.

Her hands found his belt, the buckle releasing under her nimble fingers. One zipper and a button later and he was lifting his ass so she could pull them down his thighs, boxer briefs not far behind.

She threw one leg over, about to seat herself on his cock, when he suddenly remembered. 

“Condom,” he said, her wet heat giving him a teasing little kiss before she scrambled off him. 

“Right,” she said, both of their chests heaving with how close that had been. “Where?”

“My bag. Left zipper. I can get it,” he said, but Rey was already off the bed and across the room.

A strip of condoms in hand, she was back in bed in no time, Poe sheathing himself in latex before sheathing himself in Rey. 

She took him from above, facing his feet as she sunk down the length of him. A soft groan escaped his lips at the feel of her around him, velvety and smooth and white hot. There wasn’t much for him to do with Rey in the driver’s seat but sit back and enjoy the ride. 

She continued to rock herself on top of him, Poe’s hips snapping up to join the fun. A moan told him that was the right direction, Rey gripping his shins for leverage. He missed her face like this, and had to content himself with an unobstructed view of her back, hands tracing the patterns and lines while she rose to her knees and dropped once more. 

He noticed something new every time he looked, which admittedly hadn’t been as often as he would have liked. To this point, their trysts had often involved a few stolen minutes and full clothing, but now, he had all the time in the world to take in every last detail. Back here, the ink was unfinished, with missing coloring and lines that trailed off into nothing. There was a story there. But now probably wasn’t the time to ask questions.

In fact, he could barely form a coherent thought as Rey moved on top of him, her back arching as she touched herself somewhere he couldn’t see.

They’d done this enough that it shouldn’t feel this good anymore. He should be used to this, used to her, used to the way she made him feel. But each and every time he simply wanted her more.

And now, he wanted her in his arms.

Removing his hands from her hips, he sat up, bringing Rey against his chest. It took some maneuvering, but he wrapped one hand around her middle so he could thrust up in controlled bursts, Rey’s head dropping back against his shoulder.

“Poe,” she moaned as he took the opportunity to kiss down the exposed length of her neck, her movements turning just off-beat to his own. 

She was close, he could feel it in the tension of her muscles, the way her stomach flexed under his hand. So he dipped it lower, fingers finding that spot that always pushed her over the edge.

It didn’t take long before she was crying out, her body pulsing and fluttering around him. He could feel his own release coming, white-hot and low in his belly.

Rey’s hand snaked over his own, her breaths wild as she panted, “Come for me, love. Come inside me.”

Poe did just that, and whether it was her words or the feel of her or the sound of the word “love” on her lips that pushed him over the edge was anybody’s guess as he spilled inside the condom, his cry of her name buried in her neck.

They collapsed back against the mattress in a heap of skin and sweat. 

“I think I like this bed thing,” Rey panted as their heart rates came down.

Poe laughed, burying his face in her neck, right at that place she smelled the most like Rey. And inhaled deeply.

“So about  _ Abandonment Issues _ …”

Poe groaned, face still buried in her neck. “Can’t we just enjoy the afterglow?”

“Or I can pee, and then we can talk about this.” Rey gave him a peck on the lips before disentangling herself and padding over to the bathroom, the door clicking shut a second later.

Poe ran a hand through his hair, staring up at the ceiling for a moment.

It wasn’t that he’d lied to her. He wasn’t a liar, because it wasn’t a lie. Just an omission of the truth. A multi-platinum omission of truth.

The toilet flushing in the other room broke him out of his reverie. He dealt with the condom and cleaned himself off as best he could with a couple of tissues from the box on the bedside table, laying back against the pillows in time for Rey to come out of the bathroom.

She practically dove under the covers and into his arms, her body warm against his.

“So,” she said, looking up at him expectantly. “You wrote my favorite album on the planet and forgot to tell me.”

Poe took a deep breath. “It was the worst month of my life.”

That seemed to shut her up.

“It should have been the best time of my life. Bea was so tiny and perfect. Didn’t sleep a wink, but I’ve never loved any one or any thing more than I loved that tiny screaming human. We were a family. It should have been the best time of both our lives. 

“But instead, Zorii and I couldn’t even look at each other. She resented me for getting her pregnant and ending her dreams of making it to the big time, and I resented her for wanting to be famous more than she wanted to be a mother. We screamed as much as the baby, maybe more. The only thing we could agree on was the music. So we wrote. And we wrote. And we wrote some more.”

He remembered it like it was yesterday. The smell of new baby and fresh diapers and formula. Not to mention the not so fresh diapers. The way the sound seemed to echo in the loft no matter how much furniture they put into it. Facing Zorii with his guitar, both at least a week past their last shower, everything raw and open and bleeding between them.

“Every fight, every feeling, every word went into that album. Think Fleetwood Mac’s  _ Rumours  _ without all the cocaine. By the end, we weren’t even speaking to each other unless it was in song lyrics.”

The dark days, when even asking to pass the orange juice could bring on a fight that woke the baby. Assuming the baby was even asleep. Which wasn’t often.

“We recorded a few of them using an old boombox, and when Zorii played them for some A&R guy at Resistance Records, that was it. The big break. We were going to be huge. Only, I didn’t want it. Any of it. I wanted to focus on Bea and my art.”

He could still see the look on her face, a light and excitement that he hadn’t seen directed at him in ages, including the moment he placed her child in her arms for the first time.

Poe made the decision right then and there.

“There was a fight. A fight to end all fights. And when the dust settled, Zorii was gone and  _ Abandonment Issues _ was at the top of the charts.”

This entire time, he’d kept his eyes focused anywhere but on Rey, not wanting to see the look of pity that would surely be on her face. So it was quite the surprise when he finally looked down and found that it was hurt and not pity in her eyes.

Trying to lighten the mood, he went on, “On the bright side, I got a writing credit and thanks to the royalties Bea will be able to go to whatever college she chooses. And then some.”

It was silent for a moment before Rey finally turned to face him. “Why didn’t you say something when I was fawning over the band in your studio that day?”

Poe ran a hand through his newly shorn curls. Though he’d joked with Rey about it, he found he missed the moppy curls more than he’d been expecting. Oh well, they’d grow back.

“Because I’d just gotten together with the most amazing woman I’d ever met, and I was afraid if I dropped all that baggage on her front step she’d head for the hills.”

Rey considered that for a moment. “I might have.”

Poe laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I know. You’re skittish. But I love you for it.”

“Hey!” She swatted at him half heartedly, Poe catching her hand and bringing it to his lips.

“What? I said I loved you for it.”

She smiled, eyes bright in the half light of the room. “Say it again.”

“You’re skittish-- Ow!” That time the whack stung.

“The other part. You know I meant the other part.”

He leaned over, a smile on his face as his lips found hers for the briefest second. “That I love you?”

“Say it again.”

“I love you.”

All trace of humor was gone from her face. “Again.” 

“I love you.” He’d say it as many times as she needed to hear it.

Her voice was barely a whisper now. “Again.” 

“I. Love. You,” he said, emphasizing every word.

He brushed the hair back from her face, the expression underneath heartbreakingly open, vulnerable in a way Rey never was. At least, not with him. 

She brought a hand up, running it over his stubbly cheek. Contemplating. The silence stretched, and Poe waited, counting the times her thumb brushed back and forth. Five, six, ten times.

Finally, her lips parted. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Your kind words have been keeping me going, no lie. 
> 
> The next chapter ushers in the slightly more angsty portion of this fic, so get ready!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nasty surprise waits for Rey after the weekend in Coruscant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost didn't post today. It felt silly and superfluous in the face of everything happening here in the US today. But then I thought that maybe someone out there needed a distraction, something silly and superfluous to take their mind off the horrors for even five minutes, so here we are. I hope this gives you a couple minutes of peace amid the unrelenting awfulness of the past few days.
> 
> This starts out with a sex scene, so if that's not your thing skip until “I will never get tired of that,” he said, kissing her as he pulled out.
> 
> Also, as a general warning, there is some nasty, derogatory language in here toward the end.

For the first time ever, she woke in Poe’s arms, safe and warm and secure. He was slotted behind her, big spoon to her little, the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back letting her know he was still asleep.

Though as she scooted back, she found one particular part of him that was very much awake.

Rey shifted, telling herself that she was just trying to get more comfortable. But when Poe roused a second later, she couldn’t help but feel a little thrill of accomplishment.

“Hey,” he said, snuggling in closer. “Morning.” His lips brushed against her cheek.

“Morning,” she responded, shifting so her ass grazed his hardness. “Someone’s ready and raring to go.”

“Mmmm,” he hummed in her ear, his hand drifting lower until it hit the apex of her thighs. “Though I see we have a little work to do here before you join me.”

Rey sighed as those clever fingers found her clit, his lips grazing her neck. It didn’t take long for his fingers to become slick with her, the slide easier with each passing second as she bucked her hips at the sensation. Placing a hand on his, Rey guided him, changing the pressure, fixing the angle, her breath coming in rough pants.

Behind her, Poe kissed his way up her jaw before running his teeth over the lobe of her ear. “You gonna come for me, gorgeous?”

She didn’t know if it was the words or the fact that his fingers found the exact right spot at the exact right moment, but she was tumbling over the edge a second later, Poe holding her close and whispering sweet words in her ear.

His hand rested on her lower belly as her heart slowly returned to normal, pressing little kisses onto her neck just behind the ear.

“I want you,” she said, pressing back into him once she had enough breath to speak. “Like this.”

He ran a hand over her cunt. “I think we’re finally on the same page.”

Rey laughed as he shifted her thigh, pushing in a second later with a soft grunt. 

It was slower like this, the position not conducive to their usual fast and furious approach. So Rey savored the feeling of him inside her and the soft pants of breath in her ear, the way his heart beat against her back and the feel of his rough hands on her skin.

She wasn’t going to come, not so soon after the last one, but it didn’t take long for Poe’s breathing to turn erratic, his hips to lose their rhythm. So she focused her attention on him, pressing back into him and moaning the way that always got him going, helping him along in all the ways she knew how.

He came a second later, his face buried where her shoulder met her neck. 

“I will never get tired of that,” he said, kissing her as he pulled out. They’d made a mess of the bed, a wet spot a mile wide. Rey felt bad for housekeeping.

But not bad enough to stop. “Well, good thing we have all weekend to do just that.”

He laughed. “We cannot spend this entire weekend naked and in bed.”

“Says who?” she responded, her lips quirking up.

Poe laughed, pressing a kiss into her smile. “Says me.”

“We don’t have to be naked. I brought pajamas. A matching set. They’re very cute.”

“And so are you.” He gave her one final kiss before hopping out of bed, grabbing her hand to try to drag her along with him. “Now, up and at ‘em. We have a city to see.”

The rest of the weekend passed in the kind of happy haze only found in rom com montages. 

Poe took her to all his favorite places, the best coffee, the best bagel, the best slice of pizza in town. They wandered around the park, their breath fogging as they rode a beautiful old merry go round. They walked downtown, Poe pointing out landmarks and Rey people watching and both of them giggling at a performer in the street. He showed her where he and Bea used to live, a beautiful old brick building in the hipster part of town.

When they got back to the room, they fucked on every available surface - the fancy chair, the shower, even the bed once or twice - no corner of the room exempt from their christening.

And when Sunday rolled around and it was time to head home, Rey held his hand the entire way, fingers entwined and resting on the center console while they sang along with his mix. There were conversations to be had now that they were really doing this - when to tell the kids, how to tell the kids, if to tell the kids - but for once, Rey simply wanted her rom com montage moment. She’d gotten pregnant at nineteen, spent her early twenties in a mostly loveless marriage, and now she wanted - no, deserved - her rom com montage moment. So she leaned back in the seat, squeezed Poe’s hand, and belted out the next song at the top of her lungs.

But all too soon, they were pulling into Kes’s driveway, their little fantasy weekend over. They couldn’t put it off any longer. Time had officially run out. 

Rey turned to him, opening her mouth to say just that, but for once it was Poe cutting her off.

“We don’t have to make any decisions right now,” he said, his smile soft in the lights of the dashboard. “It’ll keep.” He leaned over, pressing his lips to hers. “Let’s just keep the weekend perfect.”

Oh. Her heart squeezed at the look on his face. 

He thought, well, he thought that she’d want to pull away, walk back all of those words they’d said to each other this weekend. And she couldn’t even blame him. Not when she’d been the one resisting this from the very beginning. Not when she’d made him drag her along every step of the way. 

What he didn’t realize yet was that when Rey loved, she loved hard. And when those three little words came out of her mouth, she was always sure she meant them. She was all in.

But, she could respect his wishes, especially with the way he was looking at her in the moment. He was right. It would keep.

So she nodded and dragged his face back to hers for a real kiss. The perfect end to the perfect weekend.

Then it was time to go inside, where they were greeted with cheers and tears and Kes’s knowing looks, Bea sobbing and Dio chattering, that happy chaos of family swallowing them whole. Poe and Rey exchanged a look over everyone’s head. It was almost like she’d forgotten how complicated this all was.

Goodbyes were short, Rey thanking Kes profusely before wrestling an extra squirmy Dio into his coat. Though they’d already said goodbye in the car, it killed her not to kiss Poe one last time, the trip making a habit of their easy affection. Already, she missed it.

Dio was still talking a mile a minute when Rey let them into the house. 

“And then we ordered two pizzas and cheesy bread and Mr. Dameron - Bea’s grandpa, not her dad - popped popcorn on the stove and let Bea and I pour butter all over it and neither of us even threw up!”

Rey laughed, flicking on a light switch. “Well that sounds like quite an evening for you two. We’re really going to have to give Grandpa Kes a big thank you the next time we see him.”

“There you guys are. I’ve been waiting all night.” The voice that came from the kitchen turned Rey’s blood cold.

“Daddy!” Dio took off running and leapt straight into Ben Solo’s waiting arms.

Ben lifted him with practiced ease, standing to his full height. Rey dropped her keys onto the table. The keys for the locks she’d had changed when Ben moved out almost a year ago. 

She swallowed down the rising terror, keeping her voice light for Deacon. “Ben. What are you doing here?” It had been his weekend, but he had been the one to cancel on them, not the other way around. 

“Just wanted to spend some time with my best guy and gal,” he said all smiles as he looked at Dio. He turned that gaze to Rey, the anger simmering just below the surface of his next words making her heart drop into her stomach. “So I dropped by and was shocked to find you two gone. All weekend.”

She could already see where this was going. Wanting to head it off at the pass, she turned to Dio. “Hey kiddo, it’s really late so how about you go get ready for bed and Daddy will come and tuck you in.”

“Will you, Daddy?” He turned toward Ben, stars in his eyes. 

Ben set the squirming boy on his feet. “Of course. I’ll be right up, Deacon.”

“It’s Dio now,” he said as he ran for the stairs. 

Ben waited until he was crashing around upstairs to turn on her. “You want to tell me why our son was staying at a stranger’s house all weekend? And now has a new name?”

“He was there for less than a day. And if you’d been here at all over the past few months, you’d know that the Damerons aren’t strangers,” she shot back, trying to keep her voice low. 

A cruel smile curled on his lips. “No, they aren’t, are they? Not when you’re fucking the dad.”

“Don’t be crass.”

“You know, you really shouldn’t leave this filth lying around with our son in the house.” He slapped a small stack of pictures on the table. Pictures Poe had taken and then given her after the painting was finished. Pictures that she’d hidden in her underwear drawer. “Wouldn’t want it to get into the wrong hands.”

“Where did you get those?” she asked, hands shaking. She balled them into fists.

Naturally, Ben ignored the question. “I saw the finished product in the Coruscant Times. It was buried in the arts section, but even that’s a victory for a small timer like Dameron. I gotta hand it to you, Rey. I didn’t think you had it in you to go slumming. An artist? Really?”

She didn’t even think before spitting back, “Oh, and a lawyer’s so much better?”

He smiled, this time the look genuine on his face. It was almost more jarring than the snarl. “I’ve always admired that fire in you.”

Rey blinked at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Rey,” he said, his voice suddenly soft, “I think we made a mistake by calling our marriage too soon.”

This was not happening. 

“Ben, you cheated on me. With the dedication and tenacity of an Olympic athlete.”

“But I got all that out of my system! I was so young when I married you. I never got to sow my wild oats.”

“You were young?” she nearly shouted at him, forgetting about trying to keep her voice down for Dio upstairs. “I was nineteen! And suddenly I was a wife and a mother and you couldn’t even manage to remember my birthday. Or our anniversary. Or Deacon’s birthday.” Rey hated that there were tears in her eyes. She had told herself she’d cried her last tear for this man years ago. “Or maybe you didn’t forget at all. Maybe you knew full well what you were missing while you were out fucking anything on two legs and you just didn’t care.”

“That’s not fair. I treated you like a queen.”

The laugh that exploded from her mouth held anything but cheer. “You treated me like a queen?”

“Yes! Look at all this I gave to you,” he said, gesturing to the house at large. That his parents paid for. “And every time I… lapsed I always made it up to you.”

Rey thought to the closet full of clothes she hated and the dresser full of jewelry never wore. To the purses and the shoes and all the things she couldn’t give two shits about anymore. 

“We just wanted you, Ben. Not all of this shit. But you were never there.”

“I will be this time, though,” he said, grabbing her hands. “I promise. If you’ll just take me back.”

She tried not to laugh. “The papers have been final for like six months. We’re done.” 

But Ben, being Ben, couldn’t let it go. “I know, but we can do it all over. Do it right this time, no courthouse, you can get a pretty white dress and my dad can walk you down the aisle.”

He said it without a bit of irony. Good god, did he even hear himself? 

Luckily, she didn’t need to respond to that bit of lunacy as Dio chose that moment to call down. “I’m ready!”

“Coming right up, kiddo.” He turned to Rey, a little of that anger back on his face. “This is not over.”

As soon as he was up the steps, Rey scrambled for the photos, carefully counting. She breathed a sigh of relief. They were all there. Leave it to Ben to ruin what had been a fun memory. 

With still-shaking hands, she dug out her phone, hitting the first contact.

One ring, two rings, oh god, please pick up.

Poe answered on the fourth ring. “Miss me already, Sunshine?”

“Ben’s here,” she said with no preamble. “He was in the house when we got home.”

“I can be there in five minutes.” Poe’s voice was rough on the other side of the line. “Do you feel safe?”

Rey bristled. “Ben was never violent with Dio or I.”

“I didn’t ask that.”

Rey thought about it for a second. “Well, I definitely don’t know how he got into the house.”

“Where is he now?” There was motion in the background, the sound of a door closing, the car starting.

“Upstairs with Dio.”

“Ok, I’m right around the corner.”

“I know.” She looked up toward the stairs, the soft tones of Ben reading what sounded like _Spring Sweetheart_ filtering down. Talk about a clash of worlds.

“I’ll stay on the phone until I get there. Do you know what he wants?”

Rey rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her. “Yes. Apparently, me.”

“You?”

“He wants me back or some shit.” She said it without thinking about who she was talking to, how that might be construed.

“Is that what you want?” Headlights flashed in the front windows, someone pulling into the driveway.

“Oh, god no. I meant what I said. I love you.”

“Who are you talking to?”

The phone slid from Rey’s ear as Ben stepped onto the landing. Thankfully, he looked more heartbroken than angry. That is, until Poe came through the door a second later.

She was in his arms almost instantly.

“You ok?” he asked directly into her ear.

Rey nodded. When she looked up, Ben’s face was a portrait of carefully curated rage.

“What are you doing here, Dameron?” Ben sneered at them. He took a step forward, using that obnoxious height to try to intimidate Poe.

Too bad intimidation wasn’t in Poe’s vocabulary. He took a step forward as well, his neck craning up. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“It’s my fucking house.”

Rey snorted. “It’s your parents’ house and we both know it.”

“Nobody asked you,” snapped Ben, looking Poe up and down. “So you’re the reason my wife’s tits are in the Times.”

Poe surged toward him, Rey holding him back at the last second.

“Christ, Ben. Get out,” she said, keeping what she hoped was a calming hand on Poe’s shoulder. 

“Whatever. You can have ‘em. They weren’t much to write home about, anyway.”

There was no one to hold back Rey as she swept forward, fist cocked and connecting with Ben’s jaw before she even realized what was happening. Old school Jakku, indeed.

But she was out of practice, pain blooming across her hand as soon as she made contact. Poor posture. Bad form.

“Shit,” she said, shaking out her hand. She really hoped that wasn’t a crunch she heard.

Ben, rather than being livid, looked strangely victorious with one hand cradling his jaw. “You just sealed your fate.”

Poe was at her side in an instant, looking at her already swollen hand. 

Ben turned just before walking out the door. “I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me soon.” And with those parting words, he was gone.

“Shit, sunshine. Are you okay?” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles that made her wince.

“Oh god, I gotta see if Dio heard,” she said, nearly in tears. Poe held her back.

“I’ll check on Dio, you get ice on that, okay?”

Rey nodded, grabbing a bag of frozen veggies out of the freezer and sitting down at the table to contemplate her bad luck. Weekend officially over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confessions and conversations ensure as Poe and Rey deal with the aftermath of Ben's surprise visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my posting schedule is a little off this week due to the entire world burning, but I'm still here. Better late than never, right?
> 
> A quick warning: there's a tiny sex scene in here, so if it's not your thing skip from "It wasn’t long before they were completely naked" to "Immediately, Poe’s eyes started to drift shut."

Poe took three deep breaths at the top of the steps. He needed to calm down if he was going to check on Dio. In for four, hold, out for eight. And repeat.

No luck. He was still gonna fucking kill Ben Solo.

That… was not helpful. But it was true. And if Rey hadn’t stopped him, if she hadn’t gotten to Ben first, he would have liked more than anything to be the one to punch that smug look off his face. Granted, based off what he heard in the kitchen, Rey had earned the right to that punch.

And she had one hell of a left hook.

Quietly, he opened the door to what he assumed was Dio’s room, guessing right on the first try. He’d never actually been up here before. 

Dio’s room was done up in a space theme, the attention to detail exactly what he’d come to expect from Rey. 

While the walls were as pale as the rest of the house, the ceiling was done in a deep blue, those little glow stars arranged in actual constellations above his head. He could pick out the Big Dipper, Orion, and Taurus with just a glance, and he knew there’d be more if he cared to look. Planets hung among them, creating the solar system directly over his bed, with a nightlight in one corner throwing more stars up the wall. 

And there, just under the sun, laid Dio, deep, even breaths telling Poe he was truly asleep.

He backed out of the room so as not to wake him, closing the door extra gently behind him.

Back downstairs, Rey sat at the kitchen table with a bag of mixed vegetables, her shoulders rounded forward. He hated that this is how their weekend had ended, especially when she’d been damn near elated when she left his house not even a full hour ago. Made him want to punch Ben Solo all over again.

“Is he asleep?” she asked, her voice small and worried.

“Out like a light.” Realizing what she really wanted to know, he added, “He didn’t hear a thing.”

“Are you sure?”

Poe smiled, taking the seat next to her. “Hate to break it to you, but your kid isn’t that good of an actor. I’m sure.”

That made her smile. It was weak and tentative and a little watery, but it was a smile nonetheless.

The next words out of her mouth threatened to undo all his careful control. 

“He found these,” she said, setting down the stack of photos he’d given her after the painting. Looking at them again, he realized the painting didn’t even do her justice. The original was too breathtaking. But now was not the time to ruminate on his artistic failings. “They were in my underwear drawer. He was in my bedroom.”

His first instinct was to get up, walk out the door, track Ben Solo to whatever hole he crawled out of and calmly murder him, but that didn’t seem practical at the moment. Ben Solo wasn’t worth life in prison. But he knew that the next time he saw that man, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions.

He hated to ask the next question, but it was too important. “Do you know how he got in?”

“No,” she answered instantly. Then she took a deep breath, seeming to think it through. “No. I mean, I changed the locks as soon as he moved out and I was too paranoid to even get one of those fake rock thingies in case we were locked out.” She paused, something dawning on her. “His parents. The Solos have a key. He could have swiped it from their house.”

She dropped her head to her hand, wincing as the injured one moved.

“Let me,” he said, motioning to her hand. She gave it over willingly.

Gingerly, he took the bag off, the skin underneath beet red and tight with swelling. Rey hissed through her teeth when he moved her hand.

“It’s not broken,” she stated as a matter of fact. “I know what that feels like, and it’s not this.”

“You’ve broken your hand on someone’s face before?”

Rey shrugged. “Twice.” A true smile blossomed at whatever look crossed his face. “Don’t look at me like that. Someone had to keep Finn out of trouble.”

“You never cease to amaze, Sunshine,” he laughed, putting the veggies back on her hand. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” At the look of panic on her face, he added, “Hey, I’m not leaving you alone in this house until I can change every lock in here. I’ll go to Home Depot first thing.”

He started toward the steps, but Rey tugged him back. The look on her face made his heart drop. Immediately, he started back-pedaling. “I can be out of here before Dio wakes up. He never has to know I spent the night.”

But Rey, being Rey, had another surprise in store for him.

“I don’t want to keep us a secret anymore,” she blurted, the words all running together. She looked terrified, but pushed on. “That’s what I was trying to tell you in the car. I’m done with the hiding and the stolen moments and the sneaking off to fuck in the middle of a play date. I want us to be together. Really be together.”

Rationally, Poe knew he was breathing. Logically, he could feel his heart steady in his chest. Distantly, he realized that she was waiting for his response. But as he looked into Rey’s hopeful face, her eyes lined in the shimmering silver of unshed tears, he could have sworn the world stopped around them. That his breath caught in his chest. That his heart stopped beating.

“Hey, don’t keep a girl waiting.” A weak smile appeared on her face, barely masking the worry. 

That broke him out of his stupor. 

He surged forward, the kiss as much an answer as the words that followed. 

“Yes. God, yes, I want that too. More than anything.”

“Oh, thank god,” she said, reaching up to swipe away the single tear before it fell.

He kissed her again, knowing that if he got to do this the rest of his life it still wouldn’t be enough. “Bed?” 

Rey nodded, leaving him long enough to lock the doors before taking his hand and leading him upstairs. Down the hall he followed, to the master all the way at the end. 

The room was 100% Rey, with pale grey-green walls popping against the bright white of the furniture and soft greens permeating every inch of the space. It smelled like her, heady and floral and clean, everything neat as a pin and exactly in its place. 

Poe couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her from behind, pulling her close to get that scent straight from source.

She turned around, dragging his lips to hers in one smooth motion. “Thank you,” she whispered when they finally pulled apart. “For coming and for staying and taking care of us. Thank you.”

“It was nothing,” he replied, and when she looked about to object, he went on, “When will you realize that I would move literal mountains to keep you and Bea and Dio safe?”

Rey gave a broken half sob, pulling herself together a second later. A small, mischievous smile crossed her face. “What about Kes?”

Poe laughed, dropping his forehead to rest against hers. “Kes, too. You guys are my family.”

There wasn’t much space between them to begin with, but Rey closed it in an instant, her lips firm and insistent on his. With a swipe of her tongue, he opened to her, the kiss growing deeper. Her tongue sought his with a practiced intimacy, no less sweet for its familiarity.

God, would he ever stop wanting her like this? Every time felt like the very first with her, Poe reverting to his teenage self. Fumbling, earnest, too eager by half.

Though even Rey seemed especially eager that night, practically tearing his shirt off in her haste to get him naked. 

“Hey,” he said, stilling her hands. He brought them up, kissing each in turn. “Slow down. There’s no rush. I’m all yours.”

Her answering smile was blinding. “And I’m all yours.”

So they took it slow, Poe carefully peeling off the sweatshirt he’d watched her put on that morning, kissing her neck, her shoulders, her lips. His pants went next, Rey taking her time as she slid them down his thighs. Her leggings joined them on the floor a second later.

It wasn’t long before they were completely naked, Rey on her back as Poe slotted himself over her. Thanks to their escapades this weekend, he still had a couple of condoms with him, all the more reason to slide right in when Rey was ready.

And an easy slide it was, Rey’s familiar warmth enveloping him in a single stroke. It felt different here, together in her bed, more intimate, more right. Like they were finally taking that next step forward. As such, he took things slow, kissing her neck, her lips, her chest, wanting to savor the moment, even with the threat of Dio waking up hanging over their heads.

Rey’s eyes fell closed as he pressed up and in again, blunt nails scrabbling against the skin on his back, his shoulders, reaching up to fist in what was left of his hair.

With one hand, he widened her legs, watching himself stroke in and out, her body responding to every movement in kind. Already, she was starting to tighten around him, her breaths coming quickly as he brought a hand between them to strum at her clit.

Rey moaned, the sound sticking low in her throat. At the next thrust, she wrapped her legs around him and it was Poe’s turn to moan, the change somehow making her even tighter than she’d been a second ago.

He could feel his own release barreling down his spine, so he picked up the pace with both hand and hips, trying to get them over the finish line together.

Poe got there first, stifling his groan against Rey’s neck as she followed a second later.

He stilled his hips while she continued to flutter around him, their chests heaving in time while their hearts slowed down. 

It felt like an eternity later when Poe finally let himself collapse next to her, taking off the condom and searching in vain for a trash can. 

“Here,” said Rey, holding out a tissue. “I’ll take it.” Gingerly, Poe placed it in the tissue, watching as Rey disappeared into the bathroom a second later.

Immediately, Poe’s eyes started to drift shut. This had been quite the day, what with the breakfast in bed and the long drive home and then the panicked rush to get here. It was almost surreal to think that they’d started the day wrapped up in each other's arms in Coruscant, blissfully unaware of the outside world, and ended it here, with Rey’s hand swollen and bruised after a confrontation with her ex.

It almost made their earlier happiness feel laughable. How naive had they been to think that once they were on the same page, it would be easy? There was nothing easy about this. Then again, nothing worth having ever was.

He found himself shaken awake from a doze when Rey slid into the bed a second later. His eyes were treated to another uninterrupted view of her unfinished back as she settled onto her stomach next to him. One finger came up almost unconsciously, tracing the dark lines across one shoulder blade. 

Half asleep, he mumbled the first thing that came to mind. “Why’d you stop?”

"Uh, we both came?” she answered, voice low and sleepy.

He laughed, leaning over to kiss the tip of her nose. “I meant the tats. Why leave the back unfinished?”

Rey got quiet, so quiet he would have thought she’d fallen asleep had he not been able to see her eyes shining in the dark bedroom.

“The arms aren’t finished either,” she started, her voice soft. There was a hint of something like anger there. “They were supposed to go to my wrists.” She brought one up, looking down as if expecting to see anything but the creamy, blank skin. “I still have the drawings Finn made for them.”

“Wait, Finn drew your tattoos?”

They were good, really good. So good, Poe made a note to ask Finn about his work the next time he was in the school. He’d love to see what else he had.

Rey nodded. “Designed the whole thing. It was supposed to be this great, interconnected piece, but…” she trailed off with a half shrug.

“What happened?”

“Dio happened,” she answered, a soft smile on her face. “The plan was to resume once I gave birth, but Ben didn’t think it was a good investment when I’d just have to cover it up to go anywhere respectable.”

“Fuck him,” snapped Poe, unable to keep his mouth shut. Thus far, he’d tried not to say anything. It wasn’t his place. But after tonight, he’d officially snapped. 

Rey didn’t seem to mind. “Amen to that.” She scooted closer, Poe’s arms wrapping around her automatically, bringing her close.

“Have you thought about restarting now?” he asked as her head settled on his chest. There was no denying how right this all felt, so he didn’t even try.

She considered that for a moment. “I did. But it seems silly to waste the money all these years later.”

“It’s not a waste if it makes you happy.” He pressed a kiss into her hair.

Rey’s voice was barely more than a whisper when she answered, teetering on the edge of sleep. “I think I’m finally starting to learn that.” Her breathing evened out a second later, the smile on her face lingering a while longer.

With Rey sleeping softly in his arms, Poe thought he’d finally got that lesson down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly hope everyone is staying safe. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise from Ben throws a wrench into Poe and Rey's plans.

Though Ben’s rather ominous (and let’s be honest, melodramatic) final words to her continued to hover in the back of her mind, it appeared as January turned to February that they were out of the woods.

Time was flying by and Rey could do nothing to stop it. Work, Deacon, Poe, repeat. The plan was to tell the kids about them, but it was never the right time. 

So the beginning of March brought spring break and with it, an entire week without kids. Bea would be spending the time with her mom in Coruscant, while Han and Deacon braved the crowds down in Disney. Rey and Leia would meet them on Friday for a weekend away, but until then it was adults only at Kenobi and Dameron households. And Rey took every advantage to play house with Poe.

He spent every night, kissing her goodbye in the morning, greeting her at the door at night, even cooking dinner for her before she cleared the dishes and had her way with him right there on the table.

She should have known it wouldn’t last.

It was the day before she left for her trip that they decided to grab dinner out, Rey having burned the chicken nuggets (her specialty) when she lost track of time making out with Poe on the counter. So a restaurant it was, Rey choosing her favorite Italian spot in town. Ben had introduced her to it right when she’d moved to Yavin, but Rey didn’t hold it against the restaurant. The food was just too good.

They were right about to walk through the door when a man’s voice stopped her.

“Rey Solo?”

She turned out of habit, one she was desperately trying to break. She didn’t want to answer to that name anymore.

“Actually, it’s Kenobi, now,” she said with a smile, so taken aback she didn’t think to question how he knew her name in the first place.

“So, Rey Kenobi?”

“Correct.”

The man held out an official looking envelope. “You’ve been served.”

Rey was too shocked to do anything but hold the envelope, looking from her hands to Poe and back again.

Finally, she ripped it open, finding an official-looking document and a second, smaller envelope. She scanned the official one first, her breathing getting more and more erratic the further down the page she got.

“Rey? What does it say?” asked Poe, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“He’s suing me for full custody. Citing an unsuitable home environment and an unfit mother.” Her hands shook as she struggled to take in the words. _Conditions in the home unsuitable for young children. Pornographic images in easy reach of a minor._ Her heart raced.

Poe was right beside her, reading along. “Wait, he didn’t even mention the-- Oh, there it is. _Defendant assaulted Plaintiff when confronted with accusations._ Seems that he forgot to mention the breaking and entering beforehand. Must have slipped his mind.”

He was trying to be funny, get her mind off this mess, but she couldn’t bring herself to crack a smile, not when her entire world was falling apart in front of her eyes. “Technically, the house is still in his parents’ names. We keep meaning to change it over to mine, but we’re all so busy…” she trailed off, thinking of every mistake she’d made over the past few months. Every time she’d left Dio - no, Deacon. Her son’s name was Deacon. Every time she’d left Deacon with someone to spend time with Poe or snuck away for a stolen moment. All things that could now be used against her in a court of law. 

She tore into the smaller envelope, finding a handful of pictures. “The pictures, he’s submitting the naked pictures of us as evidence. And he wants me to know.”

“That’s blackmail, he can’t do that,” said Poe, looking over her shoulder at the letter. 

She handed them over. “He can, and he is.”

“No, he can’t.” Poe laughed, a relieved smile on his face. “You have the evidence right here. He stole these from you. This will be thrown out immediately.”

“But that would be in court.” She swallowed down her panic at the very thought. “And if it’s in court, then the news could pick it up. I work for Leia freaking Solo, this can’t get in the papers. And he knows that.”

“How does he have those pictures anyway? You counted them, I watched you do it that night.”

Rey had been racking her brain trying to figure out that exact same thing. The lightbulb finally went off. “The negatives. I never checked for the negatives.” In fact, she’d forgotten all about them in the aftermath of her showdown with Ben.

Because of course Poe took pictures the old fashioned way and of course he gave her the negatives for safe keeping. So she’d never worry that he’d use them against her or without her permission. 

She closed her eyes, twin trails of tears making their way down her cheeks.

Poe’s arms were around her immediately. “But what is he trying to accomplish? Besides embarrassing you, that is. And even for Ben, this seems like a lot to go through just to make a point.”

Rey agreed. There was definitely another agenda here, she just couldn’t see it yet. 

Sensing she wasn’t in the mood to eat out, Poe sprang into action, ordering food to go, getting Rey home.

As they sat at her kitchen table in near silence, Rey’s mind raced. 

She’d known Ben a long time; long enough to understand that there were bigger things at play here. He had no interest in raising their son, that had been made crystal clear in the year plus since they’d split. And sure, he’d made it abundantly clear that he wanted her back but…

Oh. 

It finally hit her.

“You,” she said, turning to face Poe. “He wants me to break up with you.”

It made perfect sense. He’d shown up here with some misguided idea that they belonged together, that he actually wanted her back. And what had she done? Thrown his words back in his face and called Poe. Of course he’d want to punish her for being happy. He was the most miserable person on the planet. And misery always wanted company.

“Me?” asked Poe, brow wrinkled in confusion. “Who wants you to break up with me?”

Right, she hadn’t exactly been having this conversation out loud. “Ben. I think that’s what Ben wants with all this.”

“That couldn’t be it,” insisted Poe. He definitely looked a little nervous. “That’s low, even for him.”

Rey laughed, the sound bitter to her own ears. “Then you really don’t understand my ex-husband.”

It was her fault, really. She’d thought there would be no consequences to her happiness. But that wasn’t how her life went. For Rey Kenobi, happiness always came at a price.

At 17, she’d been blissfully happy when Ben Kenobi, her father in all but official name, died of a heart attack. It was three days before he was set to formally adopt her.

At 18, she’d been optimistic as she and Finn started college, two kids getting an education against all odds. Less than six months later she’d met Ben Solo. She was pregnant a month after that.

At 19, she’d been ecstatic when Ben Solo proposed, promising a good life for her and the baby she knew she couldn’t afford. It was years later when he let slip that his parents had forced his hand.

There were too many times to count between then and now. But Rey had no reason to be surprised that when she finally figured out her life, it all came crashing down.

It felt like a dark cloud was closing in on her, misery threatening to steal the breath from her lungs.

As if through a fog, she heard Poe’s voice.

“Rey?”

She blinked, bringing that worried look into focus, his brow knitted in concern.

“Hey,” he said, resting a hand on top of hers. “We’ll figure this out together. I promise.”

Rey wished the words brought her comfort.

He was going to kill Ben Solo.

What he’d told Rey and Deacon that first day in the principal’s office was true. Poe was a lover, not a fighter. Always had been, always would be. Rey was the fighter in the relationship. Scrappy, strong, determined, she’d go to the mat for the people she loved. Without hesitation.

But as he watched Rey turn nearly catatonic over the stolen photos and the threat of losing Dio, he found that he very much had it in him to kill Ben Solo.

And yet, the world kept spinning. Leia convinced Rey to take the trip with her anyway, get away for the weekend and clear her head. Poe had to agree. It would do her good. Plus, Dio was expecting them. 

He’d driven Rey to the airport that morning, the goodbye far too bittersweet for his liking. Leia (Governor Solo? What did one call the former mother-in-law of your current lover who was also your governor?) had watched the exchange with an unreadable expression, Poe keeping his words brief and quiet. He wasn’t the type of guy to talk shit about someone’s kid within earshot. There were limits, even to his hatred of Ben Solo. Plus, he was double parked.

“Have fun,” he said, putting on a smile for show. 

Rey could barely muster one in return. “I’ll try.”

“Do or do not, there is no try,” he said, earning a real laugh in return.

“That’s gibberish.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “No, it’s good advice. Have fun. Enjoy time with Deacon. This will all be here when you get back.”

“When did you get so wise?”

“I’ve always been,” he said, taking Rey’s swat in good measure. “Took you long enough to notice.” He sobered up. “I love you.”

Rey closed the distance between them, the kiss short and sweet and leaving him wanting more. So much more. But Rey was already heading toward Leia and the terminal.

He realized as she disappeared from sight that she’d never said it back.

That feeling nagged at him the whole weekend. Waiting for Zorii to bring Bea. Listening to Bea’s five thousand stories while they got ice cream. Tucking her in for the night.

Poe was still preoccupied when he joined his Dad on the couch a few minutes later.

“Poe? Mijo?” 

He turned. His dad only ever called him that when he was worried. Which he was now, judging by the look on his face.

“Everything ok?”

Poe forced himself to answer. “Yeah. Just a little distracted, that’s all.”

Kes broke into a shit-eating grin. “Missing the lovely Ms. Kenobi, I presume. She gets back tonight, doesn’t she?” He paused to waggle his eyebrows suggestively. “Heading over for a late night rendezvous?” His face fell at whatever look crossed Poe’s face. “Wait, what’s going on?”

With a sigh, Poe scrubbed his hands over his face. It felt like he hadn’t slept in days, and that was probably true. He’d been tossing and turning since dropping Rey off at the airport. “Rey’s ex is being a dick.”

“Ah, yes. And water is wet.” Kes chuckled at his own joke, infinitely amused with himself. “But what does that have to do with you.”

“He’s using the painting and the pictures I took to sue for custody. Along with the fact that Rey decked him.”

Kes’s brows knitted together. “But didn’t he break into her house?” 

“It’s in his parents’ name, so it’s a weird grey area,” answered Poe, parroting Rey’s earlier words. “Unless Leia wants to stand against him, but that’s a PR nightmare waiting to happen. The whole thing is, and that’s why he’s doing it. He can’t win in court and he knows it.”

“Such a shame.” Kes shook his head. “The Solos are good people, what did they do to deserve a son like that?” He paused, confusion wrinkling his face. “Wait, if he can’t win in court, what is he trying to accomplish?”

Poe had spent every waking moment pondering that same question. And every time, he ended up at the same place. “He wants me gone. Out of her life.”

“I think you’re underestimating her again. Rey would never stand for that.” A pause, then less certain, “Would she?”

“What wouldn’t someone do to protect their kid?” posed Poe. “Dio would invariably be dragged into this mess.”

Kes’s face turned grave. “So he’s making her choose. Her son or you.”

Poe nodded. “Far as I can tell.”

Just then, his phone beeped. 

Rey (10:21 PM): Hey, I’m outside.

Poe’s heart sank. Something told him this wasn’t a fun sexytimes kind of visit.

A fact that was confirmed when he found Rey standing in front of her car, arms crossed. 

He found himself thinking about the ring he had in the top drawer of his dresser. The ring his mother gave him when she died. The one meant for his true partner in life. He used to wear it proudly around his neck, but had taken it off years ago, after that mess with Zorii. Around the same time he decided that Bea was the only lady he needed in his life.

But lately, it had been on his mind again. It only took one look at Rey’s face to know that it would be staying in the drawer.

“Hey,” he said, trying to break the ice. “How was Florida?”

As if to drive that knowledge home, she said, “We need to talk.”

“Okay.”

“I can’t do this anymore,” she said, refusing to meet his eyes. 

That was vague, but unsurprising.

“Did Leia say she’d fire you? Because--”

Rey put up a hand, stopping his speech before it began. “The opposite, in fact. She said she’d stand by my decision, fight for Deacon and I.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Rey swallowed, and for the first time he realized how stiffly she was holding herself. Like any movement might cause her to break apart. “I can’t put Deacon through that. The trial, the fighting. They could put him on the stand.”

“I don’t think they put kids on the stand.”

“Well then they’ll make him talk to a judge!” she practically shouted, throwing her hands up. She started to pace. “Ask him a bunch of questions about how I’m a terrible mother.”

Poe stepped forward, trying to still her nervous motion with a hand on each arm. “We won’t let it get that far. I promise, we’ll figure this out. Together.”

“I have to protect my family.”

All his breath left him in a rush. “I thought we were family. You and me and Bea and Deacon.”

They had plans. Bea would take the room next to Deacon’s. Poe would paint it to look like a fairy hollow, per her request. They’d use his couch and her kitchen table and buy a new bedroom set together. Every Sunday, Kes would come over and they’d make chocolate chip pancakes.

It was perfect, but it was a fantasy. One Rey was able to end with four little words.

“There is no ‘we,’” she snapped, shrugging out of his grip. “There’s Deacon and me, and I will do anything to protect our little family. You’ve done enough.”

There they were. The words he’d been dreading. “You blame me.” It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact.

“Of course I don’t.” Her words may have said one thing, but her face told a whole different story. “I made bad choices and now I have to live with them.”

“Rey, Sunshine, please don’t do this.”

“It’s already done,” she said, the words sounding final. Poe watched, helpless, as she took another step back, slipping through his fingers in real time. “I have to go. The Solos are with Deacon, and I’m sure they want to get home.”

There was nothing for him to say but one final truth. “I love you, Rey.”

Her hand was on the car door handle. She hesitated a second, debating. “Goodbye, Poe.”

He stood alone in the front yard long after her car had disappeared from view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Runs and hides*
> 
> Kidding aside, as always, I promise a happy ending. We just aren't quite there yet...
> 
> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey deal with the fallout of her decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst? Did anyone order angst?
> 
> Kidding aside, I promise these two will figure it out in the coming chapters. We're just not quite there yet. But I hope you still enjoy.

Rey lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling for the fifth night in a row. 

She swore she hadn’t slept a wink since her conversation with Poe. Well, break up was probably a more apt term, and she’d spent every night since tossing and turning, going over and over the decision until nothing made sense anymore.

For the tenth time that night, she brought the talk with Han to the front of the queue.

_ Han dropped onto the bench next to her. “Hey kid, how you holding up?” _

_ “I’ve been better,” she said, accepting the proffered bottle of water. “I thought you were going on.” She gave a nod toward the Tower of Terror, the shadow of which they were currently sitting under. _

_ “Do you know how many times I’ve been on that thing this week? It’s Leia’s turn. Your son is fearless.” He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Wonder where he gets that from?” _

_ There was a ding as an elevator door opened above their heads, the screams of mirth ringing out as the car dropped out of sight. _

_ Rey laughed, taking a tentative sip of water. “You can’t mean me.” _

_ Between the worry about Ben, the shock of going between 40 degrees and 90 in two hours, and something called Tip-Yip that she’d eaten for lunch at a space diner, her stomach was not weathering the trip well.  _

_ “I’m not talking about roller coasters,” he said, his voice barely audible over the continued screams and sounds of the crowd. “My son is an idiot. We both know that. He’s made a lot of shitty choices in his life, but picking you to start a family with wasn’t one of them.  _

_ “I’m sorry that he was too dumb to realize what he had with you before it was too late. And I’m sorry that he didn’t treat you and Dio the way you deserved to be treated. But somehow, even with my idiot of a son trying to hold you back, you managed to raise a sweet, kind, fearless little boy in your image.” _

_ She was overcome with a sudden swell of emotion. Han Solo was not a touchy-feely kind of man, and here he was, spilling his heart on a Saturday afternoon while hidden speakers played kitschy 1940s music to them in front of a drop tower disguised as a hotel. _

_ “Thank you,” she managed to choke out, swallowing down the tears that scratched at her throat. _

_ “I’m not done yet.” _

_ Rey clamped her mouth shut. _

_ “I’m sure Leia already told you this, but we’re here for you, whatever you need. He has no case. We’ll fight this.”  _

_ He reached over, his hand hot but dry on hers. _

_ “Leia and I love you like a daughter, Rey. We want nothing more than for you to be happy. And we’ve never seen you happier than you’ve been these past few months with Poe.” _

_ It had been years since she’d felt like anyone’s daughter. Eight, to be exact. She’d been a wife, a mother, and more recently a girlfriend, but not a daughter. The Solos had always been Ben’s parents. Her in-laws. And Ben never let her forget it.  _

_ But as Han surreptitiously handed her one of the sandpapery brown napkins to wipe her eyes and wrapped an arm around her slightly shaking shoulders, she found that feeling again.  _

_ “We’ve got you, kid. We’ll fight this, and you and Poe can ride off into the sunset. I promise.” _

So, like every child in the history of the world, she got home and immediately did the exact opposite.

And the kicker was, it hadn’t even worked. The court date hadn’t budged. There were interviews and social worker visits scheduled. Ben still got Deacon every other weekend. She’d left Poe for nothing.

Oh, there was one change. Ben was actually showing up for his visits now. Had to look good in front of the judge.

According to her lawyer, that was yet another failing on her part. She should have kept a record of all the weekends missed and excuses made. Now they were trying to piece it all together with texts and missed calls.

Rey picked up her phone, checking it for what had to be the hundredth time that night. Still nothing.

In the week since she’d walked away from him, there had been no less than a thousand times that she’d been halfway through texting Poe a funny meme or a simple “thinking of you” before she remembered that she couldn’t do that anymore. And an additional thousand times that she’d wanted to reach out anyway, tell him that she’d been wrong, she wanted him back.

But she’d stuck to her guns and now she was paying for it with a racing mind and a raging case of insomnia. And apparently, she wasn’t the only one.

“Mama?” came a small voice followed by the creak of her door. A familiar dark head materialized. “I can’t sleep.”

Rey sat up, patting the empty mattress next to her. “Come on. Tell me what’s wrong.”

He padded over and dove into bed, the door left ajar behind him. Rey sighed. She’d get it later.

Deacon burrowed into her side. “My belly hurts.”

“Again?” asked Rey, her fingers carding through his hair. It had been nearly blonde when he was a baby, and for the life of her she couldn’t remember when it had turned so dark. “Grandpa Solo said that you were feeling pretty good today. Lots of playing video games instead of sleeping.”

Deacon had woken that morning for school and claimed a stomach ache. Though he didn’t have a fever, Rey let him stay home. She was pretty defenseless against his puppy dog eyes these days.

“Cuz I was feeling better,” he mumbled into her side.

She kissed his forehead, letting her lips linger a second. “Well, you aren’t warm. Is there another reason you don’t want to go to school? Are you and Bea fighting?”

“No,” he whined, dragging the word out to multiple syllables. There was a pause, and then, “Are you fighting with Poe?”

Rey stiffened. “Did somebody say something to you?”

“Bea said you were boyfriend and girlfriend and we were going to be a family, but now we’re not,” he responded.

For fuck’s sake. They had agreed to tell the kids together. He had no right…

“And who told Bea that,” she managed to grit out between clenched teeth.

Thankfully, Deacon was none the wiser. “She heard her dad and her grandpa talking when they thought she was asleep.”

Oh. 

In the absence of anger, Rey found herself choking back tears. It made sense that he’d tell Kes. They had plans, after all. Poe and Bea were going to move in. There was no point in Poe finding his own place when she had more than enough bedrooms to go around. And they’d be spending all their free time together anyway. Might as well do it in the comfort of the home they shared with their kids.

But now was not the time to think about what could have been, not when Deacon was still waiting for an answer. “No, Poe and I aren’t fighting.”  _ We aren’t anything at all, _ she added in her head for her own benefit. “We’re just spending some time apart. I’m sorry, kiddo. I didn’t realize you and Bea knew that we were…” Rey trailed off, not really sure how to finish that sentence. “Friends.”

“Mo-om,” he said, his little voice letting her know just how exasperating she was being. “You guys went on a trip together. That’s not something friends do.”

Rey laughed, placing a kiss on the top of his head. “How did you get so smart, young man?”

“You,” he said, snuggling deeper into her arms. Rey smiled to herself. Some days it still amazed her that this perfect little boy was hers. 

A hush fell over the room, long enough to make her think that Deacon had fallen asleep before a sleepy voice asked, “Hey Mom?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Do you think Poe will still help me with my drawing?” 

What little composure she had left cracked at the dejection in his tiny voice. The whole point of the months spent sneaking around had been to shelter the kids from this, and somehow they’d still managed to get twisted up in their love life.

She squeezed Deacon tighter. “Oh honey, I’m sure Poe would still be happy to help you. And just because Poe and I aren’t,” she swallowed, struggling to get out the next word, “together any more doesn’t mean that you and Bea can’t be friends.”

“Ok.” He looked up at her, thoughtful. “Mama, why are you crying?”

And here, she thought she’d been hiding it. She should have known there was no escaping Deacon’s watchful eye. “I’m just tired. Let’s try going to sleep.”

“Ok.” His sleepy reply told her he was already halfway there. 

Rey smoothed her hand on his back, rubbing soft circles until his breathing evened out.

At least one of them would get some sleep that night.

It was well past midnight as Poe sat staring at yet another blank page. He was so far past the deadline for this pitch, it was laughable, but the final book in the Seasons of Love series had done so well, the publisher was more than willing to wait for his next idea.

And wait. And wait some more.

First, he’d been too busy sneaking around blissfully with Rey to log any hours in the shed. And the few minutes here and there he’d been able to scrape together had all been wasted with sketches of her face or faithful recreations of the tattoos he couldn’t seem to get out of his mind. 

Now, nearly a week after she’d left him stunned on the tree lawn, those sketches stared down at him from every inch of the shed, quietly judging Poe and the blank sheet in front of him.

And yet every time he put pencil to paper, it was her face that emerged. 

_ Fuck it, _ he thought, fleshing out an image on the paper. If he could only draw her, then he’d draw her. Maybe it would finally get her out of his system.

It was second nature now, the lines of her face practically drawing themselves as the scratch of pencil on paper filled his ears.

His mind wandered as he let his hand go free, thoughts turning to Rey, of course.

He hadn’t heard a word from her since that night on the lawn. Hell, he hadn’t even seen her since she turned her back on him and drove away. And not for lack of trying. Every day he tried to catch her at pick up and drop off, and every day she was nowhere to be found. If he didn’t know better, he’d say she was avoiding him.

On the paper, her neck took shape, Poe trying to get the slope and angle just right. There was this certain way she held her head when she thought he wasn’t looking. Like she couldn’t quite believe what was right in front of her. He’d always struggled to get it just right, but today it flowed effortlessly onto the paper.

And maybe she was avoiding him. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that she blamed him for what happened with Ben, no matter what she said to his face. She’d told him she made mistakes. What she didn’t need to say was that those mistakes had all involved Poe.

Her shoulders came next, a natural extension of that regal neck. They sloped down, giving way to thin but muscular arms and delicate hands. Hands used to calm a crying child or fix a broken bike or make him moan. 

Hell, even he blamed himself. If it hadn’t been for that stupid painting in the stupid Times, they never would have caught her stupid ex’s attention in the first place. He’d almost thrown up earlier that week when the money from the sale hit his account. It felt wrong that he could directly profit from something that brought the woman he loved so much pain.

The rest of her body took shape quickly, long lines and narrow waist, legs that went on for miles.

And don’t even get him started on the photos. Hindsight really made the stupidity jump out on that one. Here he thought he was giving her peace of mind when he handed over the negatives, but all he’d done was put a loaded weapon in her ex’s hands.

Now for the hard part. Poe closed his eyes, trying to remember all the intricacies. Lines formed, tiny on her already slim arms, darkening until he had a good outline. But that wouldn’t do.

He reached for the colored pencils, bright pinks and greens and blues exploding off the page. It was delicate work, tiny and precise and damn near impossible to get right. But he had traced every inch of that art with his hands and his mouth at one point or another. There was no better man for the job.

His pencil stilled. Taking a deep breath, he sat back and examined his handiwork.

It was Rey all right, smiling up at him in all her perfection. He hadn’t quite meant to flesh out the sketch so fully, and he certainly hadn’t planned to color it, but here they were. And yet, something was still missing.

The lines he drew were a bit whimsical, protruding up from her back to a point before making their way down in a segmented arc. A few more details, a little shimmer, and there. Just right.

He set the drawing aside and grabbed a blank sheet of paper, an idea taking form.

Three hours later, he had the pitch for his next book.

He stood up and stretched, his back making its feelings known with each pop and twinge. Looking down at his phone, he realized with a jolt that it was nearly 5:30am. It had been a long time since he’d pulled a true all-nighter.

The craving hit him out of nowhere, sending Poe digging through every drawer until he found the crumpled pack behind a box of condoms he was probably never gonna use again. All the contraband he needed to hide from Bea in one place.

_ Old habits died hard _ , he thought to himself as he lit up a slightly bent cigarette behind the shed. 

He inhaled deeply, letting the smoke curl and burn in his lungs. 

It was… awful. Way worse than he remembered. He tried not to gag as he exhaled.

A throat clearing in the early morning haze left him sputtering and choking in surprise.

“Saw the light on out here and figured you could use a cup,” said Kes, holding out a steaming mug of coffee. “Didn’t expect to find you sneaking a smoke like you were fifteen.”

Silently, Poe accepted the mug with his free hand, taking a sip.

“I thought you quit when Bea was born.” Kes took a judgy sip from his own cup.

Poe took another drag, trying not to cough. At least the nicotine was starting to buzz along his veins. “I did. It’s been a shitty week.”

His dad motioned for him to hand over the cigarette. 

Poe rolled his eyes but handed it over anyway. He knew from experience that you didn’t mess with that look. Once a child, always a child. 

But instead of putting it out, Kes surprised the hell out of him by bringing the cigarette to his lips and taking a long drag.

Poe raised his brows. “I thought you quit when Mom was diagnosed.” 

“I did. It’s been a shitty week.” Kes winced, looking down at the cigarette like it had personally offended him before handing it back. “Jesus, that’s disgusting. Why is it never as good as you remember it?”

Poe laughed. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”

Rather than bringing it back to his lips, Poe snubbed it out. Experiment over.

They stood in silence, watching as the sun rose in the distance, bathing the backyard in a soft pink glow.

It was Kes that broke the peace of the moment. “Still no word?”

There was no need for him to clarify. 

“Nope. Radio silence going on eight days now.” 

Kes sighed, that judgy look back on his face.

“What?” snapped Poe, his patience worn thin. “Come on, I know you want to say something.”

“I expected more from you.”

Poe blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

“You just let her go,” said Kes, shaking his head. “I expected more from you.”

“What did you want me to do? Tie her up?” Poe nearly shouted, running a hand through his hair. “You can’t make someone stay who doesn’t want to. I learned that lesson the hard way.”

“You could have fought for her.”

Poe laughed, a bitter, angry sound. “Yeah, and how did that work out for me the last time?”

“Rey and Zorii are nothing alike.”

“Really? Because they both left me without a second thought. I can definitely see the similarities.”

Kes shook his head like Poe was being willfully ignorant. “Zorii was selfish and immature. Rey is terrified and trying to save her family. That’s a big difference.”

“Whose side are you on, anyway?”

Kes sighed. “I’m on yours. I’m always on yours, mijo.” He put a hand on Poe’s shoulder. “That’s why I’m trying to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life.”

“Thanks, but I’ve been doing just fine without your help all these years.” Poe shrugged off the hand. “I’ve gotta go wake Bea up for school.”

Poe turned and started back to the house.

“Well, I’m here if you want to talk,” Kes called after his retreating form.

Poe ignored the offer as he closed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paths cross when a crisis sends everyone scrambling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, some bad news. Beginning this week, I need to start going in to the office to prep for our phased reopening. Which means my writing time is going to be severely cut. That being said, I'm going to start posting this story once a week instead of twice to give myself a little more time during this transition. 
> 
> Now on to the good news. We're officially at the beginning of the end of the angsty portion of this story. Try not to hate me too much in the first part of this chapter. I suspect the ending will redeem me.

“Talk soon.” Poe hung up the phone, letting it drop to the counter with a clatter.

Over at the kitchen table, Kes looked up from his newspaper. Poe hadn’t even seen him come in. “Bad news from Snap?”

They were being civil, their earlier fight behind the shed long forgotten in the chaos of the morning rush and drop off. 

Poe scrubbed his hands over his face with a heavy sigh. “Yes. No. I mean, maybe? I don’t know, both?”

Kes blinked at him like he was nuts. And maybe he was. He’d been up since yesterday at this time and at this rate, if he didn’t get some sleep soon he was gonna drop right here in the middle of the kitchen.

“So, did he like the pages or not?” 

“He loved them,” Poe answered in a tone reserved for telling people their loved ones hadn’t made it.

“So, then why are you walking around looking like someone pissed in your cornflakes?”

Poe motioned to the folder of drawings on the table. “See for yourself.”

Kes pulled the folder to him. It only took one look for his face to fall. “Oh.”

The plan had been to drop off Bea at school, scan the pages to his agent, and immediately go to bed until pick up, but he’d barely hit send when his phone started to ring.

_ “Hello?” _

_ “Three months you’ve been dodging my calls and then you send me this out of the blue?” came Snap’s voice over the line. He laughed. “Where have you been hiding her?” _

_ Poe smiled in spite of himself, running a hand through his hair. “So I take it you like them.” _

_ “Like them? Poe, do you realize the potential with this? A fairy princess who teaches kids to accept their differences. This is a goldmine. The publisher is gonna want five, maybe six of these on various topics.” He paused. “So who is she?” _

_ “She’s the fairy princess of flower hollow. Using the art on her skin, she shows kids it’s okay to be different--” _

_ Snap interrupted his monologue. “Come on, we both know I’m not asking for a rehash of the pitch. Who is she?” _

_ Poe’s heart beat against his chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” _

_ “Poe, how long have we known each other?” _

_ Seemed a little off topic, but Poe wasn’t one to judge. “I don’t know, 10 years, maybe more. A long time.” _

_ They’d met back in the early days, right after Poe had moved to Coruscant. When Snap was an editorial assistant at one of the big houses and the Spice Runners were struggling to book gigs at the diviest of dive bars. _

_ “Right. And I’ve been your agent for five of those. Which means I’ve seen your other recent work. Didn’t take long for me to put two and two together. So who is she?” _

_ “A friend,” answered Poe as vaguely as possible.  _

_ But Snap wasn’t about to let that slide. “A friend who would be willing to sign a release for the use of her likeness?” _

_ “It’s a little more complicated than that.” _

_ “Well, uncomplicate it.” _

_ “I’ve never had to sign a release before,” said Poe, feeling a little stubborn. Bea was quite obviously the main character in Seasons of Love, and there had been no talk of releases or likenesses. “Why now?” _

_ “Because this woman isn’t your kid. If she sees this and gets pissed, she could sue. I can’t even float this to a publisher if we don’t have something in writing.” _

_ Poe swallowed thickly, exhausted. He was supposed to be asleep by now, but it was already inching toward noon. At this rate he’d barely get two hours before he had to pick up Bea from school. This call needed to be over. “What are my options? If I don’t get the release?” _

_ Snap sighed. Heavily. “I mean, you could change her face.” Poe swallowed down his revulsion at the idea. “Let me guess, the tats are an exact likeness too?” _

_ “Yeah.” He braced himself for Snap’s reaction. It didn’t disappoint. _

_ “Christ, Poe. I’ll talk with legal, but I’m pretty sure that’s not gonna fly.” Snap got quiet and Poe could almost see him pacing in front of his giant window overlooking the Coruscant skyline. On the line, Snap took a deep, calming breath. “Listen, I’m gonna level with you. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do for you if you’re unwilling or unable to convince her to sign. But Poe, this has the potential to be huge. Like, Caldecott Medal huge.” _

_ Poe’s heart gave a lurch in his chest. “Snap, I do--” _

_ “Don’t say no just yet,” Snap interjected before Poe could finish his thought. “I’m gonna send you the form. Take a couple days, think it through. I don’t know, maybe talk to her? I’m not sure what happened to you two, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in nearly five years of marriage, it’s that an honest conversation is always a good place to start. And who knows, maybe she’ll see reason in more than just the release.” _

_ Fat chance, thought Poe. But he kept that to himself. “I’ll keep that in mind. Give Karé my love?” _

_ “Of course. Talk soon?” _

_ “Talk soon.” _

Which had brought him here.

“Yeah,” he said, trying to ignore the look his father was giving him. “Snap won’t even show it to any publishers unless I get a release signed.”

Kes stared at him in silence for a full minute before he burst out laughing.

“You really don’t learn your lessons, do you?” he said, closing the folder with a shake of his head. “Now will you listen to my advice?”

“She doesn’t want to talk to me, Dad. And she sure as hell isn’t gonna let me use her face. Not when it blew up her life the last time.”

“Suit yourself, but I think a children’s book is a little different.”

Poe opened his mouth to reply, only to stop when his phone started to ring.

He answered without looking at the caller ID. “Listen Snap, it’s been 10 minutes. There’s no possible way I could have gotten it signed already.”

“Uh, is this Poe? Poe Dameron?” said a voice that was decidedly not Snap’s.

Poe’s face heated. “Yeah, this is he.”

“Uh, Poe, this is Han Solo, Rey’s…” he trailed off, obviously trying to find the right word to describe their relationship. Poe was more than a little surprised when he settled on, “father.”

“What can I do for you Mr Solo?” asked Poe, trying to keep his voice even. Was he about to get chewed out by the first husband of Yavin?

The man on the phone chuckled. “Please, call me Han. Listen Poe, I’m gonna cut to the chase. There’s been an accident, and I think Rey could really use you right now.”

It felt like someone put ice in his veins. “What happened?”

Rey struggled to keep her eyes open as the budget committee meeting went long. Again. 

It was the third day in a row of these marathon sessions, Leia dead set on balancing the budget her first term. And that meant Rey was along for the ride, taking notes, distributing agendas, making any necessary edits. Listening to grown men whine.

But for the third time that day, the meeting had devolved into a heated debate as the head of public health faced off against the head of job and family services on whose budget was more important. It had been twenty minutes now with no sign of letting up. 

Rey cursed herself again for leaving her phone on her desk. Rookie mistake. She could have been looking at cat memes under the table while these two duked it out.

Next to her, Leia sighed. Rey recognized that look. These two weren’t gonna know what hit them. 

“Enough!” shouted Leia over the incessant bickering. Both men turned to her, eyes wide. “The money has to come from somewhere, and neither of you are making a very good case by acting like a couple of toddlers fighting over the last goldfish cracker. My seven year old grandson behaves better than you two.” Next to her, her cell phone started to buzz. Leia took one look at it and passed it off to Rey. “That’s the third time this hour. Can you see what he wants?”

Rey walked to the other side of the conference room just as Leia ripped into them again. “Now, are we going to act…”

She smiled as she hit accept. “Hey Han, it’s Rey. Leia’s ripping these guys a new--”

Han cut her off. “Rey, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for an hour. The school called me. There’s been an accident.”

Her heart stopped dead in her chest. It was the worst call you could get on a Wednesday afternoon. Or any afternoon, really.

“Accident?” she repeated, all the blood draining out of her face. “I forgot my phone. On my desk.”

The one time she’d forgotten her phone on her desk and something like this happened. Because of course that was her luck right in the middle of a fucking custody battle. The school had probably been calling her and Ben was gonna use it against her...

Han was still talking. “...get down here as soon as you can.”

Rey shook herself out of the stupor. “Right. I’ll leave now and I can be at the school in ten minutes.”

“Rey, have you been listening to a word I’ve said? They sent him by ambulance to Yavin Memorial twenty minutes ago. I’m meeting him there.”

Her brain clicked off, all silly thoughts of Ben and custody gone in an instant. Three words repeated over and over in her head. Accident. Ambulance. Deacon.

“Rey, what’s wrong?” When Leia received no answer, she put a soft hand on Rey’s shoulder. “Let me have the phone.”

Rey followed the command, not capable of doing anything else in her current state.

“What’s going on?” asked Leia in that no-nonsense voice. Her face turned grave. “Ok, talk to the doctors, figure out what’s going on, and we’ll be there in twenty.” 

She hung up, turning her attention to Rey. “You are going to go back to your office, grab your things, and meet me out front, understand?” Rey nodded, grateful that somebody was able to take control of the situation. “I’m right behind you.”

Rey heard Leia giving some kind of an explanation to the other departments as she left the conference room, barreling down the halls until she made it to her office. Grabbing her phone and her purse, she was outside in less than five minutes, hands shaking as she tried and failed to open her car door.

That’s where Leia found her. “No way. Get in the passenger side. You are in no shape to drive.”

“But your car.”

Leia waved her off. “I’ll have one of the aides drop it off later. Get in.”

Distantly, Rey realized that they were hurtling down the highway, familiar sights passing by her window, but all she could do was stare at her phone and the ten missed calls from the school and Han.

Ten missed calls. Ten attempts to reach her while her baby was in pain. Oh god, she hadn’t even asked what happened to him. Deacon could have fallen and hurt himself. He could be sick. He could be dying, she wouldn’t even know. What kind of a mother didn’t even ask what was wrong with her child?

A bad one, that’s who.

Before she knew it, they were pulling up to the ER, Rey practically jumping out of a moving vehicle in her haste to get inside.

“Deacon Solo,” she nearly shouted at the person sitting at the front desk in the ER. “I’m looking for Deacon Solo. I’m his mother.”

The flustered woman had barely begun typing something into her computer when Rey heard a familiar voice.

“Rey.”

She turned to find Han walking toward her, worry etched into every line on his face. Upon seeing the look on his face, a sob escaped her lips. “Is he….”

Immediately, Han took her into his arms. “It’s okay, he’s okay. They think it might be his appendix. The doctor just took him for some kind of a scan.”

“I thought he was faking it,” she sobbed into his shoulder. “He told me his belly hurt last night, and I thought he just wanted to skip school again and hang out with you.”

Han rubbed her back as she continued to cry. “Hey, it happens. Hell, I’m the one who told you he was faking it yesterday. He’s gonna be fine.”

Rey took what felt like her first full breath in hours.

Leia chose that moment to run through the doors. “What’s happening?”

Han gave her the rundown while Rey continued to sniffle at his side.

“Ok, so now we wait,” declared Leia when he finished, ever in control.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rey caught a familiar face. “Finn?”

Han gave her a sheepish look. “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Finn’s here.”

“Sorry, I didn’t want to disrupt family time,” said Finn, taking a step toward them.

Rey couldn’t quite believe her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

Finn looked shy all of a sudden, not wanting to meet her eye. “I, uh, didn’t want him alone in the ambulance, so I rode with him.”

Another sob escaped her chest as she practically threw herself into his arms. “Thank you. Thank you for taking care of my boy.”

Finn squeezed her back. “Like I’d ever do anything else.”

Rey huffed out a laugh through her tears.

“Mrs. Solo?”

“Yes,” answered Leia and Rey at the same time. They laughed at the confused look on the nurse’s face.

“Uh, Deacon Solo’s mother?” she clarified.

“That’s me.” Rey raised a hand. “It’s actually Ms. Kenobi now.”

The woman smiled at her. “I will make a note on the chart.” She started tapping away at the tablet in her hand. “So, they took Deacon into the OR a couple minutes ago and I’m here to show you to the general surgery waiting area.”

Rey’s heart started to race. “Wait, he’s in surgery. Why can’t I see him?”

The nurse’s face fell. “Oh, the doctor didn’t come out to speak to you?”

The blood froze in her veins. “No. What’s going on?”

“Here, let me show you to the waiting area, and then I’ll make sure a doctor comes out…”

“No. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.” Finn’s arm came around her shoulders as Leia reached for her hand.

The nurse looked around nervously, lowering her voice. “Deacon’s appendix burst on his way to the scan, so we took him directly into the OR.” At the sound of Rey’s strangled cry, she went on. “We have one of the best pediatric surgeons in the state working on Deacon and I promise you, he’s gonna take good care of your son.”

Burst. His appendix burst. Rey had watched enough TV to know that was a lot more complicated than your average appendectomy.

Without quite realizing it, Rey was led into the waiting area, letting herself stare at a spot on the wall for an indeterminate amount of time.

“Ben,” she said out of nowhere. Everyone turned to her. “I have to call Ben. He’s Deacon’s dad, he should be here.”

Han looked uneasy. “I tried him a couple times earlier.”

But Rey ignored him, hitting Ben’s contact on her phone. It rang out. “Ben, it’s Rey. Deacon’s sick. Please give me a call back when you get this.”

She waited ten minutes to try again. “Ben, it’s Rey again. I need you to call me as soon as you get this. Deacon’s appendix went and he’s in surgery right now at Yavin Memorial. Call me.”

A half hour later: “Ben, it’s Rey. Your son is in surgery. Call me back.”

The next time she called, he put her straight through to voicemail.

She loosed a scream in the back of her throat, tossing her phone for good measure. 

“Rey?” asked a concerned Leia.

“He’s screening my calls. His son is surgery and he’s fucking sending me to voicemail.”

At that, Han excused himself for a minute.

Minutes passed like hours as they sat, no word from any of the doctors. Han and Leia took turns going up to the desk while Rey stared into space, too terrified to do anything but sit perfectly still.

“Rey.”

That voice. She’d know it anywhere. Rey raised her head.

And there, not even ten feet away stood Poe, looking crumpled and messy with at least a day’s growth on his face, those sleepy, hooded eyes locked onto hers.

“How is he?” asked Poe, the worry genuine on his face. “I came as soon as Han called.”

Rey looked over at Han, who simply gave her a shrug before she turned her attention back to Poe. After everything she’d said to him, the way she’d left things, he’d still come for her and Deacon. Without a second thought. 

She stood, crossing the distance in three steps to press her lips to his.

He’d come back for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies all, I've been watching a lot of Grey's Anatomy during quarantine and I'm pretty sure it shows. But have no fear, I still don't do sad endings. Let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hours stretch as Rey and her family wait for word on Deacon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the beginning of the happy ending! I hope you enjoy.

Poe wasn’t nearly as surprised as he should have been that Rey’s first reaction was to kiss him. They’d been down this road; it was kind of her thing.  But he was surprised when she pulled back a second later and collapsed in great, heaving sobs in his arms.

Rey was not a crier. Sure, he’d seen her tear up, and on a rare occasion, let those tears spill over, but he’d never seen her completely break down, not like this.

“I did this,” she sobbed into his shoulder, tears soaking into his shirt. “This is my fault.”

Acutely aware that Bea and Kes hovered a few steps behind him listening to every word they said, a fact that Rey obviously hadn’t realized yet, he tried his best to calm her. 

“Rey, this is not your fault,” he said, rubbing circles into her back. “You did not make Dio sick. I know it’s scary, but kids get sick.”

“H-he didn’t have a f-fever. I thought he was f-faking it. I made h-him go to school.” She stumbled over the words, interrupted here and there by the uneven breath of a sob. “They called me and called me and my phone was on my desk. I’m a terrible mother.”

“You are not a terrible mother,” he said with enough vehemence to stop her mid sob. “It was an honest mistake. Kids stretch the truth; there was no way you could have known. And now, Dio has a whole team of doctors helping him. He’ll be up and about in no time.”

A familiar sniffle from behind him drew Rey’s attention. Poe could tell the exact second she realized Bea was watching them, and the mom in her took over. Her entire face changed. You had to keep it together when one of your kids was scared. It was the cardinal rule of parenting.  She quickly wiped her eyes, evened out her breathing, and put a smile on her face, leaving Poe’s arms to crouch down to Bea’s level. “Hey sweetie. Deacon’s gonna be so happy you came to see him.”

“Is he okay?” she asked, her voice trembling. “I got Mr. Storm as soon as Dio fell over, but he was crying a lot.”

When the school had called shortly after Han to tell him Bea was inconsolable and asking to go home, there was no way Poe could just leave her with Kes. Especially when Kes insisted on coming down as well. It was a family affair.

“Come here.” Rey took Bea into her arms, and Poe couldn’t help but think that nothing had ever looked quite so right. “You are such a good friend, you know that? You saved his life. And Dio’s gonna thank you himself as soon as the doctors finish.”

Bea nodded into her shoulder.

Instead of letting her go, Rey simply stood, taking Bea with her as the little girl held onto her for dear life. As Rey smoothed down those wild red curls and calmed his crying child, Poe caught the look on her face and realized he’d been wrong earlier. This was better, but still not quite right. There was somebody missing from the picture.

Rey’s eyes met his over Bea’s head, his heart breaking at the look there.

She took a deep, stuttering breath and turned her attention to Kes, still hovering at the edge of their little group. “Thank you for coming.”

Kes leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Of course we’re here for you, mija. You’re family.”

At that, Rey looked about ready to lose it again.

“We should sit down,” suggested Poe, stepping forward to lead everyone toward the waiting area when Rey nodded her head.  They settled on the couch next to the Solos, Bea further burying herself in Rey’s side. 

“Hi Bea,” said Leia, leaning over to offer her hand. Bea gave her a wary look, but accepted the shake. “I’m Leia and this is Han, we’re Deacon’s grandparents.”

“I know you,” she said, squinting her eyes at Leia. “Your face was on my lawn.”

Leia laughed. “Well it looks like I have to thank someone for a vote.”

“That would be me,” said Kes, coming forward. “Good to see you again, Leia. Han.”

“Good to see you again?” laughed Han, waving him off. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? Get over here, buddy.”

Rey’s eyes went wide as she watched the two men embrace, lots of good-natured back slapping all around.

“You two know each other?” she asked, looking from one to the other in confusion.

Kes answered. “Of course. We served together. Many years ago.”

“Don’t remind me,” shot Han, a wry grin on his face.

Rey looked to Poe for confirmation. He shrugged. “It’s a small world and a smaller town.”

It felt like a small victory when she cracked a smile, her hand finding his on the couch. There was so much light in those hazel eyes, so many words left unspoken between them that Poe found he couldn’t look away.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one.

Leia cleared her throat. “Hey Bea, I don’t know about you, but I am starving. How about you and your grandpa join Han and I for a snack in the cafeteria?”

“Okay!” Bea was up and out of Rey’s arms immediately, the prospect of food sending her straight into the veritable gaggle of grandparents.

Leia turned back to them. “Can we bring something for you two?” 

“Coffee would be amazing,” he said, trying not to think too hard about the last time he slept. The numbers were way too depressing. “Anything with an extra shot.”

Rey nodded. “Yeah, coffee.”

“How about some tea and a sandwich?” countered Leia. “I don’t think more caffeine is the answer right now.”

“I’m really not that hungry.”

“Rey,” said Leia, an admonishment if he’d ever heard one. “You need to eat. Keep your strength up.”

Rey huffed a laugh. “Fine. Then make it something greasy. Pizza?”

“Sure thing. You’ll call us if there’s any word?” asked Leia.

Rey nodded. “Of course.”

As soon as Rey’s attention was elsewhere, Leia winked at him behind her back, leading the whole crew out of the waiting area.

“Whoa, Leia is…” he trailed off, Rey finishing the thought for him.

“A lot.” She gave a half smile. “I know. It’s no surprise how she got where she is. You cannot say no to Leia Solo. But when she’s on your team, it makes you unstoppable.”

Poe squeezed her hand. “Well, then I’m glad she’s on yours.”

An awkward silence fell, the time apart stretching between them until it felt too large a gap to bridge. 

“I’m so sorry--” she said at the same time he confessed, “I missed you--”

They both laughed.

“You first,” he said.

Rey took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out of her nose. “I’m sorry. I got scared, and I pushed you away.”

Her words loosened a knot that had been in his stomach since that day in the driveway. He grabbed both of her hands. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“I do, though. And I want to.” She laughed. “Can you stop interrupting me for five seconds so I can tell you that I love you?”

“You still love me? Even after everything with Ben?” It was almost too much to dare to hope for. His heart squeezed in his chest.

Rey looked at him like he was insane. “Of course I do. Do you know where my ex is right now?”

Poe hesitated, wondering if this was a trick question. “No.”

“Neither do I.” She smiled at him, and Poe had to wonder if she was having a stroke or something. “I have called that man no less than six times to try to tell him his son is in the hospital, and he can’t even be bothered to send me a fucking text to say he got them.”  Rey tilted her head, bringing one hand up to cup his cheek. The rasp reminded him that he hadn’t slept or shaved in days.  “But you, Han called and you were here in 10 minutes. Rode in on your white horse for a kid that’s not even yours. So, no, there’s no doubt in my mind that I love you, Poe Dameron.”

He waited, watching as her face fell when he asked, “Are you done?”

“Yes,” she answered warily, eyes narrowing.

“Are you sure? Because I don’t want to interrupt you again.”

That earned him a smile. “I’m sure.”

“Good, because I have something to say.” At that, he pressed forward, bringing his lips to hers. 

Rey’s arms twined around his neck instantly, mouth opening to deepen the kiss. 

This. It felt so right to have her in his arms once more, to feel her lips on his. Like the final piece of a puzzle sliding into place. His thoughts drifted to the necklace he'd put on that afternoon for the first time in six years, the ring resting mere inches from his heart.

A throat cleared behind them and they jumped apart, Poe’s face practically melting as the combined Solo/Dameron clan looked on.

There was an awkward moment when no one said anything before Bea cocked her head and asked, “Does this mean I can stop pretending that you guys don’t kiss?”

Rey snorted, burying her face in his shoulder.

“Yeah,” he said, unable to keep a smile off his face despite the mortification. “I don’t think anyone’s pretending anymore.”

______________

With each hour, Rey became a little more panicked. She hid it, smiling as Bea offered her some fries, accepting cup after cup of tea from Leia, pretending to enjoy the pizza while struggling to keep it down, but every time a doctor came out and another family got their news, the fear threatened to consume her.

It was taking too long. She could see it on everyone’s faces, from Poe to the grandparents to the nurses that were now actively avoiding their group. It was taking too long and that meant things were going wrong. 

“Breathe,” whispered Poe next to her, his hand giving hers a squeeze. “You’re not breathing, Rey.”

Ok, so maybe she wasn’t hiding it all that well.

Bea shifted in her lap, bright curls spilling over Rey’s thighs. Tiring of playing games on Poe’s phone, she’d fallen asleep almost an hour ago, and Rey couldn’t express how grateful she was for the little girl’s warm, reassuring weight in her arms. It gave her something to focus on that wasn’t her own barely restrained terror.

The doors to the surgical floor opened.

As one, their group looked up, the movement and tension in the room rousing Bea from her nap. Rey held her breath as a doctor appeared, her maroon scrubs covered by a pristine white coat. 

“Williams? The family of Bethany Williams?”

Rey released the breath as a sob, Poe’s arm coming up to wrap around her shaking shoulders. Her face buried in his shoulder, she felt tiny arms wrap around her waist.

“It’s okay, Rey,” came a tiny voice from her abdomen. “He’ll be okay.”

Rey lost it at that, openly weeping as Poe smoothed down her hair.

Kes got to his feet. “Okay little lady, I think it may be time to go.”

“No!” whined Bea, sitting up to look at him. “The family always waits on Grey’s Anatomy!”

That drew Poe’s attention. “No wonder you sound like a 30-year-old. Who the hell is letting you watch Grey’s Anatomy.”

The guilty look on Kes’s face told them all they needed to know. “What? She likes doctor shows, and she’s really hard to say no to.”

“We watch House sometimes, too," Bea added. 

“Dad!”

Rey smiled in spite of herself. This was the exact distraction that she needed. In fact, it was so perfect that she didn’t notice the doors had opened again until a voice called out, “Rey Kenobi? Deacon Solo’s mother?”

Her heart stopped in her chest. 

“That’s me,” she managed to squeak out, searching the doctor’s face for any sign of bad news as he made his way over to them.

He was a handsome older gentleman, with bright blue eyes and a warm, kind smile. Exactly the type of person you’d want operating on your son.

“Good news, Ms. Kenobi, Deacon is out of surgery and doing well.”

Rey released a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding, the weight of the past few hours immediately lifting off her shoulders.  There were relieved sighs all around as Han and Leia embraced, Bea giving a cheer that further broke the tension. Poe gave her another squeeze as she wept tears of pure relief. 

But the doctor wasn’t done. “Now, we’re not quite out of the woods yet. Since the appendix ruptured, we had to wash his abdomen, which is why we were in there so long. Everything looks good, so we’re gonna need to pump him full of antibiotics and keep him for observation for a few days. But he’s a tough kid, and I have every reason to believe that he’s going to make a full and swift recovery.”

It was a lot to process, but Rey focused on a few key words. Doing well. Observation. Full recovery.

“Do you have any questions for me?”

There was only one question that mattered. “Can I see him?”

The doctor smiled. “Of course. He’s not awake yet, but I can take you to recovery and you can sit with him while we wait for a room on the peds floor to be ready.”

She nodded, her “Yes,” barely a breath.

“Okay, follow me.”

All six of them got to their feet.

The doctor hesitated. “Uh, maybe just two or three until we get you guys in a room.”

“Of course,” said Poe, squeezing her hand. “Bea and Dad and I will stay here and wait for you guys to get settled.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “If you don’t want to wait around, I’ll understand.”

Oh, how she wanted him to stay with her. But it wasn’t fair to ask that of him, of his family.

“Are you kidding? We’re here, Rey. To stay. Just let me know when you get a room and I’ll be there.”

She threw her arms around him. “Thank you.”

“I love you,” he whispered so just she could hear. 

With a quick - and chaste - peck to the lips, she stepped out of his embrace, Leia taking her hand as they were led through the doors they’d been staring at for the last three hours or so.

It was carefully controlled chaos in the recovery ward, nurses and doctors rushing to and fro, checking vitals and speaking to patients and each other in low, soothing voices. They were led to a bed in the far corner, Deacon’s familiar dark hair poking out of the covers.

Something twisted in Rey’s chest. He looked so small laying there, the bed and machines dwarfing his sleeping body.

“As you can see, he’s breathing on his own,” the doctor said, keeping his voice low. A woman two beds down groaned. 

It hadn’t even crossed her mind to worry that he wasn’t breathing on his own.  Rey swallowed down her panic. “Oh, good,” she said, keeping her voice light. Next to her, Leia squeezed her hand, just letting Rey know she was there.

The doctor smiled at her. “I know it sounds scary, but it’s a very good sign, Ms. Kenobi. I promise.” He turned, nodding toward one of the nurses. “This is Deb, she’ll help you guys out if you need anything.”

“Thank you, doctor…” Rey trailed off, horrified as she realized she’d never gotten his name. 

“Bridger. Dr. Bridger.”

“Thank you, Dr. Bridger.”

“It was my pleasure, Ms. Kenobi,” he said, disappearing back into the rush of the hospital.

Rey turned back to Deacon, watching his chest rise and fall in steady beats.

Leia sighed beside her. “He should be in a room already,” she said, craning her neck to look around the ward. “I’m going to talk to somebody about getting him into a room.”

She was off to harass the nurses a second later, Han taking her spot next to Rey.

He chuckled. “That woman can’t stand still for a second.” Registering her silence, he turned to her. “You okay, kid?”

Rey couldn’t tear her eyes from Deacon, the wires and tubes poking out of the blankets. “He looks so tiny and fragile.”

“He’s stronger than he looks. Reminds me of someone else I know.” Han’s arm wrapped around her shoulders and she instantly melted into his side. “That’s how I know he’s gonna be fine.”

“Han, thank you. For everything. Being here. Saying that.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Calling Poe.”

“Not gonna lie, I took a gamble on that one. Looks like it paid off.”

Rey smiled in spite of herself, the steady beep of the monitors comforting her more than she cared to admit.

Leia chose that moment to rejoin their little group in a huff. “They said it could be an hour still. Unacceptable.”

Han smirked at his wife, opening his other arm. “Get over here, crabby. I want my girls all in one place.” Leia snorted but ducked under his arm anyway.  Turning back to Deacon’s sleeping form with an impossibly fond look on his face, he said, “We’re waiting for you, buddy. Whenever you’re ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy ending in 5...4...3...2...1 week.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! Your lovely comments this last week seriously kept me going on more than one occasion. So thank you again.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey make things official when Deacon finally wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I ended up having to split this chapter into two when it became a monster. That being said, there are only 2 or 3 more chapters to go! Hope you enjoy!

Rey kept vigil over Deacon’s bed. The steady beep of the machines told her that he was fine, perfectly fine. The nurses that came and went without Rey getting their names reiterated the same. Leia paced the recovery ward. Han barked at her - quietly - to stop. Rey held his tiny hand in her own. But he didn’t wake.

“Rey?” said one of the many nurses Leia had spent the last hour badgering to distraction. The Solo-Kenobi clan was on a first name basis with the entire ward. Though for the life of her, Rey couldn’t remember the woman’s name.

She blinked up at the woman.

The nurse was completely unfazed by Rey’s intermittent muteness. “We’re ready to bring Deacon up to his room.”

Leia was there in an instant. “It’s about time. We have been here well over an hour.”

“We know, Leia. But it took awhile for the room to free up. Now, do you guys have any questions for me?” There was a pause when Leia opened her mouth to say something. The nurse cut her off. “That’s not about why it took so long to get a room.”

Leia’s mouth clamped shut. Ok, this woman was growing on Rey.

But there was only one question on Rey’s mind. “Why isn’t he awake yet?”

The nurse’s face softened. With a jolt, Rey realized she had purple and blue hair, despite being around Leia’s age. “He was under for a lot longer than expected, so it sometimes takes the anesthesia a while to wear off,” she answered honestly.

“What if he doesn’t wake up?” The words made Rey’s stomach churn, the very thought repugnant. But she couldn’t stop them from spinning around her head, not when her baby had yet to wake up. Leia’s hand rested on her shoulder.

“Listen,” she said, grabbing one of Rey’s slightly shaking hands. “I’ve been doing this a long time. And I know it’s scary, but everything I see here indicates that he is going to wake up any minute. A little groggy and probably in a bit of pain, but overall no worse for the wear.”

“Promise?”

The woman looked around and lowered her voice. “We aren’t supposed to promise anything to patient’s families, but I’ll make an exception for you. I promise.” She gave Rey’s hand a squeeze. “Now let’s get this boy into his room before your mother murders me.”

Rey managed a smile while Leia huffed out a laugh behind her. Neither corrected the nurse.

“I like this woman,” declared Leia.

It was a short walk down this hall, followed by an elevator ride and a much longer walk down a much longer hallway before they arrived at Deacon’s room. Deacon’s gigantic, private room overlooking the peaceful courtyard a few floors below. Deacon’s gigantic, private room overlooking the peaceful courtyard a few floors below that Rey’s insurance definitely did not cover. She looked over at Leia.

“Don’t give me that look,” Leia said, waving her off. “They said he was going to be here a few days and it’s not like I can take it with me. Best money I’ll ever spend.”

“Leia…”

“You cannot deny a grandmother the opportunity to spoil her grandchild. I just made it illegal in this state.”

Rey turned to Han for back up. He simply shrugged. “If there was a way to make her listen, I certainly never found it.”

Rey could only shake her head and take up her position next to the bed while Deacon slept on. 

“Would you like me to let Poe know we’re in a room?” asked Leia, coming up behind Rey.

Rey dug her phone out of her pocket and handed it over. “Sure.”

Leia went to town, the phone clicking a lot more than was strictly necessary to send a room number to Poe. 

Rey tried to focus on Deacon, but the sound of no less than six texts being sent drew her attention. “Everything ok over there?”

Leia’s phone dinged over and over across the room. “It will be.”

“Do I want to know?”

Leia chuckled. “Probably not. Plausible deniability and all that.” Three more texts went off rapid fire before Leia handed back the phone. “Here you go.”

“Okay then.” She dropped the phone into her purse and turned back to the most important person in the room. 

Rey ran her fingers through his baby-fine dark hair. He looked so young and small here, nothing like the boisterous little boy that lit up every room he entered. It felt like she’d taken it all for granted. Taken Deacon for granted. 

Her breath caught in her lungs a second later when the person in question twitched. Convinced that she’d imagined it, Rey continued to hold her breath, watching, waiting. Sure enough, his arm moved. 

“Guys,” she said, grabbing Deacon’s hand. “I think something’s happening.”

Han and Leia gathered around the bed in time to see him shift. A soft groan escaped his lips as his eyes finally fluttered open.

A sob escaped Rey’s throat. “Welcome back, kiddo.”

“I feel weird,” he said, still struggling to escape the hold of the drugs. “But my belly doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Yeah, they took out your appendix and gave you a lot of medicine so it doesn’t hurt anymore. You’ll be pretty tired for a bit, but everything went well and you are going to be just fine.” Rey smoothed his hair back from his forehead. “And guess who’s here? Grandma and Grandpa.”

Han stepped forward first. “Hey, kid. You gave us quite the scare. I thought we had a deal. No freaking out your mom.”

Deacon laughed, and something Rey hadn’t even known was frayed smoothed inside her. It sounded so good to hear him laugh. “I didn’t freak Mom out. She’s too brave.”

“You’re right,” said Han, a smile on his lined face. “She’s the bravest.”

Rey swallowed down the swell of emotion. She didn’t want him to see her cry. Again.

Han stepped back to let Leia next to the bed. She grinned down at him. “Oh sweetheart, it’s so good to see you smile.”

“Thanks, Grandma.” He turned back to Rey, his face scrunched up in confusion. “Where’s Daddy?”

In that moment, Rey realized she was more than capable of killing a man. Specifically, Ben Solo. She took a deep breath and was about to sugarcoat what was yet another asshole move by her ex husband, when Deacon’s face lit up, all talk of Ben Solo promptly forgotten.

“Poe!”

“You know, looking at it isn’t going to make it ring.”

Poe looked up from his phone (for the thousandth time) to find Kes giving him a patented look. “I know. Just, it’s been a long time. Doesn’t it seem like a long time?”

“It’s been an hour,” said Kes, a wry look on his face. “You know how long these things take.”

He did know how long these things took, an unfortunate side-effect of the year they spent in this very hospital. But it was a different waiting room on a different ward with a (hopefully) very different outcome.

Poe swallowed thickly. “It was a little different with Mom.” And thank god for that. 

“I know. But I also know that when they say an hour, it’s normally three.” Kes ran his fingers through Bea’s tangled curls. “I should probably take her home.”

She’d fallen asleep again a half hour before, and a better parent probably would have taken her home hours ago. But Poe was not a better parent. Not today.

Those words seemed to rouse the sleeping girl sprawled across their laps. “No,” she mumbled, still half asleep. “I want to stay and see Dio.”

“Sweetie, you’re exhausted and Dio might not even be awake when we get up there," Poe tried to reason with her.

Immediately, Bea sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “I’m awake. See?”

“Fine. But if they don’t text in the next half hour, you’re going home. Understood?”

Kes chuckled.

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” his dad said, smirking at him over Bea’s head. “Just that you call me a pushover.”

Poe was saved from responding by his phone going off. 

Rey (9:32 PM): It’s Leia. We’re in room 2522. Deacon is still asleep.

Poe scrubbed his face with one hand, letting out a sigh. He desperately wished that he’d sent Bea home. Avid Grey’s Anatomy fan or not, he wasn’t sure how she’d react if her best friend was unconscious, attached to a bunch of tubes and wires. She was just so young. Granted, he hadn’t been much older when his mom had gone in for treatment. Not that that was something he wanted his own child to experience.

Kes’s voice broke him out of his own thoughts. “News?”

“Yeah, they have him in a room,” he answered very carefully.

Kes’s brows raised. “But not awake?”

“Not yet.” They exchanged a look over Bea’s head. “Sweetheart, I think it might be time for you to go home.”

She put on her best pout. “But I want to see Dio.”

“Bea, he’s not awake yet. It’s not going to be the same.”

“I don’t care! I just want to see him!” she whined, her eyes going all shiny in the harsh fluorescent light.

Good god, damned if you do, damned if you don’t. “Ok, ok, we’ll go up.”

It was easy enough to find the room, with a little help from the info desk, but Poe hesitated at the open door. He had no clue what kind of situation they were walking into, what Dio’s condition would be, if Rey would even want them there. 

Poe crouched down to face Bea. “Ok, I’m gonna poke my head in. You guys stay out here and I’ll let you know when it’s okay to come in.”

Bea nodded.

“We’ll be out here,” added Kes. “Just give us a holler.”

So Poe took a deep breath and stepped into the room. And directly into a family moment.

Rey, Han, and Leia were all gathered around the bed and for a second Poe feared the worst. That is, until he heard a tiny voice say, “I feel weird. But my belly doesn’t hurt anymore.”

It was fairly weak, and incredibly drowsy, but it was there. Though he knew he should turn and walk back out, give them all a minute together, Poe found himself rooted to the spot.

Rey’s voice was nearly as shaky. “Yeah, you had a big surgery and they gave you a lot of medicine. You’ll be pretty tired for a bit, but everything went well and you are going to be just fine. And guess who’s here? Grandma and Grandpa.”

“Hey, kid,” said Han. His normally gruff voice held the hint of tears. “You gave us quite the scare. I thought we had a deal. No freaking out your mom.”

Deacon laughed and Poe released the breath he’d been holding. It sounded so normal, so natural. Like he’d be just fine. “I didn’t freak Mom out. She’s too brave.”

The kid was smart, no doubt about it.

Though his back was to him, Poe could hear the smile in Han’s voice. “You’re right. She’s the bravest.”  He turned to make room for Leia, his eyes locking with Poe’s. Han gave him a nod of acknowledgement. 

Leia was talking, but Poe was no longer listening. He was intruding on what should have been a family moment, and was just about to leave, tell Bea and Kes they should come back in a few, when Dio’s little voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Where’s Daddy?”

How was it that even when he didn’t show up, Ben Solo was somehow able to make his horrible presence known, his toxicity managing to permeate every inch of their lives. And no one was more affected than the little boy in front of them.

Speaking of that little boy, he chose that moment to look up, his gaze catching Poe’s immediately. “Poe! You came!”

The implication of those words - that his own father hadn’t shown up - twisted in Poe’s chest. But he put on a smile as he stepped forward. “Of course I did. Couldn’t leave my man Dio hanging, now could I?” The crowd around the bed parted so Poe could lean over for a fist bump. “How are you feeling?”

“A lot better now that they took my pendix out.” He was so serious sounding that Poe had to restrain a chuckle. 

“Well at least you’ll have a big scar to impress the ladies.”

Rey snorted on the opposite side of the bed.

But Deacon was very interested. “That’s a thing?”

“Oh, it’s definitely a thing,” he answered with a wink. “You know, I think there’s someone here who would like to say hello.” He turned his voice toward the hall. “Hey guys, I think we’re ready for you.”

Bea was bounding into the room in an instant, Poe quick enough to catch her before she jumped on the bed. 

“Whoa, there,” he said, taking her in his arms. “We’re going to be careful and gentle around Dio, understood?” He waited for her nod before depositing her on top of the bed. Immediately, they started chattering away like they hadn’t seen each other in years instead of hours. Two peas in a pod.

Poe made his way over to where Rey was standing and watching the scene unfold with a soft smile on her face. She looked tired, a little older than she had just a week ago, like the entire experience had aged her a few years. Poe snaked an arm around her shoulders.

“How are you holding up?” he asked, quietly enough that the kids took no notice. 

Rey melted into his side. “Better now.”

He smiled at that, pressing a soft kiss into her temple.

Deacon’s voice broke into their little bubble “Wait, does that mean-”

“They’re together again,” finished Bea, sounding for all the world like a thirty year old. Poe ground his teeth. Grey’s Anatomy, indeed. “We caught them kissing in the waiting room. Twice.”

“Ew.”

Next to him, Rey buried her face in his neck, her cheeks warm against his skin as she struggled not to laugh.

“Mom, is that true?” 

It was Deacon who asked the question, but both sets of brown eyes looked up from the bed as Rey struggled to come up with an answer. Make that three sets of brown eyes. Poe was rather curious to hear the answer to this one too.

Rey took a deep breath, her hazel eyes sparkling as she met Poe’s gaze. “Yes, we’re together.”

Poe nearly jumped out of his skin when the entire room erupted in cheers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decisions are made about the future as D.O. begins his recovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, did you miss me? 
> 
> Sorry folks, I needed the week to breathe a bit. But I'm back and ready to wrap this up by chapter 20. That's right, we are three chapters away from the end (if you include this one). So I hope you enjoy and I can't wait to share the rest of this with you.

“Mom, is that true?”

Rey looked over at Deacon, trying not to melt at the abject hope laced through every word.

That was the million dollar question wasn’t it? Were they together? Or was Rey simply seeking comfort and familiarity from a friend during a difficult time?

And maybe Rey should have thought about it more, really taken her time to make the decision. Because it was a big one. And their very real problems weren’t going to just disappear because they wanted them to. They had families to think of, a possible scandal to deal with, not to mention that Ben was still out there just thinking of ways to make her life miserable.

But Rey was done playing it safe. And she didn’t need to think about it at all. She simply took a deep breath, looked into Poe’s warm brown eyes, and said, “Yes, we’re together.”

The cheer that went up at her pronouncement was so loud it immediately drew the attention of the nurses. Well, one nurse in particular.

“Hello Solo-Kenobi clan,” said the blue and purple haired nurse as soon as her eyes had roved over Deacon and made sure he wasn’t the cause of the screaming. Rey liked this woman. A lot. “I take it the racket is in honor of our friend here being awake, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that this is still a hospital. People here are trying to sleep, heal. Indoor voices please unless someone is dying.” 

She fixed them all with a stern look before turning to Deacon, the scowl immediately melting into a smile. “Which is obviously not the case here. Welcome back, young man. You gave your family quite a scare. 

“My name is Nurse Wren, but you can call me Sabine.” She gave him a little wink. “Now, let’s check these vitals.”

She walked out of the room, only to return a second later with one of those computers on wheels that Rey kept seeing everywhere. 

Once she’d typed something into the terminal, Sabine turned to Bea. “Sorry sweetie, but I’m gonna need you to get down for a few minutes while I check Deacon out.”

“And I think that may be our cue,” said Poe, disentangling himself from Rey to step forward and pick Bea up off the bed. Rey pretended that she didn’t already miss his steadying presence by her side. “It’s way past your bedtime, young lady.”

“But I’m not even tired!” she insisted, attempting to stifle a yawn.

Poe chuckled. “Mmhmm.” He turned back to Rey. “I can come back. If you want someone with you tonight.”

It was a simple offer, one that seemed as natural to him as breathing. Much like in the beginning, he couldn’t possibly understand how much it meant to her. But he had Bea to think about. And Rey had been essentially on her own for years now. What was one more night? “I couldn’t ask…”

“I can have someone bring in a bed for Mom and Dad,” offered Sabine as she worked the blood pressure cuff up Deacon’s arm. “It’s really no trouble.”

Rey’s eyes found Poe’s, but no one in the room made any attempt to correct the assumption.

“It’s settled then,” declared Poe with a smile. “I’ll get Bea to bed, and be back in no time. You want me to grab some clothes and your charger and stuff?”

Once again, it was something so basic. An offer that Leia and Han probably would have made in another minute or two. Any decent human being would have offered the same. But Rey didn’t have nearly enough experience with decent people in her life.

Rather than answer, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth, in front of both their families and the nurse.

When she pulled back, Poe chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing,” he said, waving her off. And to him it probably was. 

Over his shoulder, Rey saw Leia watching them, a sparkle in her eye. 

“As lovely as this all is,” said Sabine to the room at large, “we are way past visiting hours. So let’s say goodnight to everyone except Mom and Dad, shall we?”

Rey blushed again at her assumption, realizing maybe for the first time that she wanted it to be true. Oh god, how much she wanted that to be true.

“Daddy, can I come back tomorrow morning?” asked Bea, not bothering to hide the yawn this time.

Poe sighed, lifting her into his arms. Immediately, her head went to rest on his shoulder. “Why not? What’s one more day of missed school?” He turned back to Rey, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “Be back soon.”

Next up was Kes, pulling her into a bone crushing hug before going over to ruffle Deacon’s hair. “Glad to have you back, nieto.”

Then it was just her and the Solos.

They said goodbye to Dio first, their hugs gentle but lingering as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Poor kid. That was a lot of excitement for just getting out of the OR.

When Han turned to face her, he opened his arms, and Rey didn’t even hesitate to step into the embrace.

“You did good, kid,” he said, his voice rough her ear. “The hardest part’s over. Now, get some sleep and we’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thanks, Han.”

He took a step back to hold her at arm’s length. “Enough of the Han stuff. You’ve earned the right to call me ‘Dad’ a whole hell of a lot more than my son has.” For a second he looked a little unsure of himself before adding, “That is, if you want to of course.”

Her answering smile nearly split her face in half with its force. “I would like that...Dad,” she added to try the word out. It felt just as good as she’d always imagined.

“And I’m ‘Mom’ of course,” said Leia, taking Rey in her arms. 

“How long do you think until I slip at work and call you that?”

“Honey, at this point I’m surprised you haven’t accidentally called me ‘Grandma’ yet.”

Rey laughed, the sound light and unencumbered by guilt or worry or grief for the first time in weeks. Sure, there were still some pretty big things to figure out, but Rey was classifying today as a sum total win.

“And Rey,” she went on, pitching her voice lower so only Rey could hear, “don’t you worry a minute about all this Ben nonsense. You just keep your energy for getting our boy strong and healthy again. I promise you, I’ll fix the rest.”

Rey started, taking a step back so she could see Leia’s face. “How?”

Leia chuckled. “Oh, it’s best you don’t know, dear. I have my ways.”

That sounded ominous, but Rey couldn’t muster up an ounce of sympathy for her shitty ex. He deserved whatever he got.

“And on that note,” said Leia, clapping her hands once as she stepped back from Rey. “We’ll see ourselves out. Give Poe our love, dear.”

Han chimed in, “And tell him we’re rooting for him.” The wink he gave her before following Leia from the room left her with an aching grin.

“Hey, Mom?”

Rey turned her attention back to the (young) man of the hour. “Yeah, kiddo?”

“Why are you crying?”

Well shit, he was right. She _was_ crying. “I’m just really, really happy.”

“Ok.” He was fighting his own eyelids again, the lids drooping as he struggled to stay awake.

“Oh, Dio. Sweetie, you can sleep,” she said, coming over to card her fingers through his hair. It always relaxed him. “You don’t need to fight it.”

“Hold me?”

Well that certainly wasn’t a request she was about to deny. “Of course.” She shot off a quick text to Finn to let him know Dio was okay and accepted his offer to drop by tomorrow with his missed work before she noticed a text to Leia near the top of her messages. There were several screenshots attached, but Rey had neither the time nor the patience to dig into what Leia had been up to. That was a worry for a different day.

So she shucked off her shoes and oh so carefully crawled into bed with Dio, her son curling against her side and instantly falling asleep. 

He stayed asleep even as the orderlies brought the extra bed in and Poe arrived, a small overnight back in either hand. 

“How’s he doing?” asked Poe, his voice staying barely above a whisper.

Rey looked down at Deacon’s sleeping form. He was a little more pale than usual, but otherwise completely unbothered by the events of the day. “Good. So good.”

“And you?”

For once, she answered honestly. “Tired. But so much better.”

It took a little coaxing, but Poe eventually got her to leave Dio to his sleep and get some of her own on the portable bed. 

The bed was small, probably too small for two adults, but they made it work, Rey eventually curling up so her head was pillowed on Poe’s chest. Her last thought before falling asleep was that she’d never had a more comfortable pillow in her life.

It appeared that Poe was too tired to sleep.

He should have been out as soon as his head hit the pillow. The amount of time he’d been awake now numbered in days not hours, and he could feel that bone-deep exhaustion across every inch of his body, and yet, he found himself staring up at the hospital ceiling tiles while Rey snored quietly in his arms.

She had been out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Or, more accurately, her head hit his chest. Which was currently acting as her pillow. Not that he blamed her. She’d spent the last however many hours in a state of constant terror, trying not to unravel before their very eyes. But in sleep, she looked peaceful, younger than she had all day. Poe held her closer.

It just felt so right to have her back in his arms. Though it had only been a week or so, it felt like an eternity had passed since they’d been in this position (or one of the less family friendly ones they enjoyed). He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is where he wanted to be for the rest of his life. And Rey had agreed. Well, she’d agreed that they were together. He should probably ask the rest of that question a little later.

As if on cue, the ring near his heart shifted. He could have sworn the thing burned on his chest, but it was just a figment of his imagination. Right?

The need to give it to her almost overwhelmed him. This time, he wasn’t going to wait or hesitate. As soon as Dio was out of the woods and home, he was going to do it. Hopefully make official what he’d known for months now.

Rey was his forever. And her family was his, and his family was hers. Bea had already agreed, now he just needed to ask the rest of them.

Speaking of that family, it seemed Poe wasn’t the only member awake.

“Mom?” came Deacon’s raspy little voice. 

When Rey didn’t so much as twitch, Poe gently shifted her off his chest and sat up. “Hey buddy, your mom’s asleep. Anything I can help you with?”

He still sounded a little out of it, weaker than normal when he responded, “I’m thirsty.” 

Poe was on his feet in an instant. “I can help with that.”

The little plastic water jug and cup were on the rolling table that was ubiquitous to every hospital room Poe had ever seen, either in person or on tv. It was one of the few things they got right on those doctor shows Bea apparently loved so much.

He helped Deacon adjust the bed to a sitting position before getting the little cup and straw. Deacon drank deeply, emptying the cup almost immediately before asking for more.

“How about we see how that sits before we try for more,” he said, brushing the boy’s dark hair off his forehead. The nurse had said clear liquids in moderation. So they were moderating. “How are you feeling, buddy?”

“My belly hurts again.” 

“I can definitely help with that, too.” Poe smiled. It felt good to be useful, to tackle problems he could actually fix. 

A single push of the button and the night nurse was there.

“Everything okay in here?” she asked, her voice low. It wasn’t the cool nurse - what was her name again? Oh right, Sabine. But Sabine had vouched for her, and that was good enough for Poe.

Poe’s fingers continued to card through Deacon’s hair. “I think we’re in a little bit of pain here.” 

“Is that so, Deacon?” She waited for his nod. “Ok, let’s see what we can do.” The woman made a few taps on the tablet in her hand. “Yup, we are good for another dose. I’ll just go grab that and be back in a few.” Then she was gone, leaving Poe and Deacon alone with the still-snoring Rey. Who hadn’t so much as twitched during the entire exchange. Good, she needed the sleep.

And so did Poe. His eyes had finally started drooping. Only a few more minutes, and he’d be able to sleep. 

“Hey Poe?” 

He must have dozed off there, because the sound of Deacon’s voice had him jerking awake. “Yup, yeah. What’s up, D-O?”

“Why didn’t my dad come to see me?”

Well, fuck. Ben Solo was the one problem he had no solution to. 

He was far too tired for this. And it was definitely Rey territory. But as those sad brown eyes looked up at him, Poe found himself unable to turn away. 

“Well, your dad is…” _Don’t say an asshole, don’t say an asshole._ “...a very busy guy. And I’m sure he really wanted to be here.” Lies. So many lies. But Poe wasn’t about to tell a sick kid that his dad was pretty much using him as a bargaining chip against his mother.

Dio’s little face scrunched up. “But you came. And you’re not even my dad.”

Good point, kid. 

“Of course, I did. Couldn’t let my buddy go through this alone.” 

“Then why didn’t my dad come?”

Poe sighed. Right back to square one. Fuck it, he wasn’t about defend Ben Solo and lie to his kid. So he’d do what he did with Bea a long time ago and tell the truth. 

“Deacon, sometimes people just suck.” He couldn’t help himself. It probably wasn’t the right thing to say, and it definitely wasn’t his place to say it, but then again what was right in this situation? “And today, your dad sucked. It’s not your fault, and it’s nothing you did, he just sucked today. Sometimes, adults make mistakes, and I’m sorry that he wasn’t here. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, because I know he does. And it’s okay to love him back.”

Deacon seemed to turn that over in his mind a moment. “Can I be mad at him?”

Well if that didn’t break Poe’s heart a little. He swallowed back the tears rising in his throat. “Of course you can, buddy. You get to be mad or sad or whatever you want.”

“Poe?”

“Yeah, buddy.”

“If you and my mom get married, does that make you my dad?”

Well, shit. This kid was not pulling his punches tonight. And he couldn’t even blame the pain meds at the moment.

Poe huffed out a laugh. “Whoa, there. I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Your mom’s gotta say yes first.” Then, he reached into his shirt and pulled out the ring, holding it up to the dim light for Deacon to see.

His face immediately lit up. “No way!”

Poe chuckled. “Yes, way. That is, if I have your permission.”

Deacon’s face got serious. “Do you promise to be really, really nice to her? And never make her cry?”

“I promise.”

“Then, yes,” he said with a solemnity a seven-year old shouldn’t have been capable of.

Poe’s smile went wide, cheeks aching. “Thanks, buddy. I won’t let you guys down.”

“I know.” Deacon’s knowing little small was almost too much for Poe. 

Quiet descended as Poe tucked the ring back into his shirt. Almost too quiet. Almost like silence. It took Poe a couple seconds to realize what was missing.

Rey’s snores.

He looked across the bed to find Rey’s eyes open, an unreadable expression on her face as she watched him from the second bed.

The nurse chose that moment to reenter the room. 

“This should do it,” she said, adding something to his IV. “And I’ll just check his vitals now so I don’t have to wake him again.”

Poe nodded and let her do her thing, watching as Deacon’s eyes got heavier by the second. They must have been giving him the good stuff. 

Where he did not look was anywhere near Rey, though he could still feel her eyes on him, silently watching.

“Everything looks good here,” said the nurse. She made a note of something on the tablet. “We’ll see you in the morning, Deacon.”

She was gone the next second, leaving them in darkness when she closed the door behind her.

“Poe?” Somehow Deacon managed to slur even that one word, his eyes barely even open a slit.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“I’m gonna like having you as a dad.”

Poe’s chest squeezed, acutely aware of the fact that Rey was awake and listening. “I’m gonna like having you as a son.” He reached up to ruffle Deacon’s dark hair. It was so close to Poe’s own shade that if you didn’t know any better, you’d think they were related. “But you gotta do me a favor and go to sleep now, okay?”

Deacon’s answer was more of purr in the back of his throat than an actual word. And by the time Poe placed a soft kiss on his forehead, he was out, his little chest rising and falling in even beats.

Even with Deacon out, Poe hesitated a second by the bed. But putting it off wouldn’t make facing Rey any easier. Better sooner than later.

So Poe got to his feet and made the walk over to the other bed. It was only a dozen or so feet, but felt so much longer, a near eternity passing between each step.

He slid back into the tiny bed the hospital provided. They fit, but barely, the two of them practically on top of each other to make it work. Any other time, he would have found being this close to Rey absolutely intoxicating, though the sick child mere feet away did enough to put a damper on it.

Somehow, Rey found enough room to turn and face him, her eyes catching what little light the room provided. Again, her face was unreadable.

Who talked first? Did he talk first, did she talk first? He waited all of 30 seconds before impatience got the better of him. 

“So, how much of that did you hear?” He didn’t even know which part would get him into the most trouble. Telling her son that his father sucked? Talking to him about marriage? The possibilities were truly endless.

“The part where you offered my son a new father or the one where you told him you were going to propose?”

Well, shit. The answer to that was apparently all of it. “Rey, I can explain…”

“Did you mean it?”

“That Ben Solo sucks? Every word of it.”

Rey laughed. “Not that. The other part. The one where you said you were going to ask me to marry you.”

There was a spark in her eyes, her gaze holding him in place. “Every word of it.”

“So ask.”

Suddenly, his heart was drumming against his chest. This wasn’t how this was supposed to happen. He had a plan, a good one. One that would make Rey forget she’d ever spent five years married to that stiff.

But Rey was looking at him so sweetly, so expectantly, all thoughts of plans went right out the window. He took out the ring once more.

“Rey..” he trailed off. “Wait a second, what’s your middle name?”

She laughed, the sound nestling itself somewhere under his rib cage. “Daisy. My middle name is Daisy.”

“Like your flowers,” he said, one hand coming up to touch the place on her shoulder where he knew one was drawn. “It’s perfect.”

“Are we going to talk about the fact that you’re proposing without knowing my middle name?”

“Nope. It’s not like you know mine either.”

“Bey, your mother’s maiden name.”

Poe blinked. “Ok, I take that back. Can I finish proposing now?” 

Rey nodded. 

Poe grabbed her hand, brushing a thumb over her knuckles. “Rey _Daisy_ Kenobi, you are the love of my life. Before I met you, I thought it was just me and Bea til the end of the line. But you and Deacon added something to our lives that I didn’t even realize was missing. Will you marry me?” 

She made him wait far too long before answering a resounding, “Yes!”

Then he was kissing her, her lips just as insistent as his own as they sealed this new pact between them. And as her tongue found his, he couldn’t help but feel like this was the first step of the rest of their lives. 

When Rey pulled back a second later, it was with a smirk on her face. “I thought I got a ring out of this deal.”

Poe’s answering laugh made Deacon shift in his bed. They both held their breaths for a second, waiting until his breathing returned to those deep, even beats before Poe unclasped the necklace and slid the ring off. A second later, it slid home on Rey’s third finger.

“You know, I had a whole plan for this,” he said, admiring the way that ring looked against her pale skin. “One that involved a real ring and a ridiculous amount of daisies, because they’re your favorite, though little did I know why. The kids were there and I was most likely crying. It was going to be perfect.”

Rey’s hand came up to cup his cheek. “It already is perfect, Poe. It already is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you guys think? Was it worth the one week delay? Let me know in the comments!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deacon is released from the hospital and Dameron-Kenobi-Solo clan starts their life together as a family... with a twist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penultimate chapter folks! And it's a doozy. I've been calling this one "Leia ex machina" in my head.
> 
> Hard to believe this started out as a one-shot pwp courtesy of the enablement crew on the discord. But it's been a ride and I hope you enjoy these next two chapters as we wrap this story up.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

The call came nearly a week after that whirlwind day.

Rey and Poe were packing up the hospital room in anticipation of Dio’s release, and wondering how one accumulated so much crap in only a week, when her phone started to buzz. She set down the armful of stuffed animals she’d been trying to pack away and dug her cell out of her back pocket. These days, she never went anywhere without the damn thing on her person.

“Hello?” she answered, not bothering to check the caller ID.

“Rey, it’s Larma D’Acy.”

Right. Her lawyer. She had been wondering when the reckoning would come. They’d been able to push off the original court day due to Deacon’s medical emergency, but nobody believed that would last for long. Ben would not be denied.

She checked to make sure Deacon was occupied with Bea. “Hey, Larma. Now’s really not a good time.”

At the sound of her lawyer’s name, Poe looked up, mouthing, “You okay?” from across the room. Rey nodded.

“I think you’re going to want to hear this.”

Two sentences later, Rey collapsed into a nearby chair.

Poe was by her side in an instant, but she put up a hand in the universally accepted gesture to hold your horses. She really wanted to hear this.

Her eyes grew a little wider with every word.

“Just like that, it’s over?”

She could hear the smile in Larma’s voice when she answered, “Just like that, it’s over.” Immediately, a weight lifted from Rey’s shoulders. But she wasn’t finished. “It’s too bad. I really wanted my chance to tear that man to shreds.”

“Well, I won’t pretend that wouldn’t have been fun to watch, but I’d much rather have this settled without dragging my family into it. Is there anything you need from me?”

“Nope. Countersuit with the evidence you provided will get filed later today, and it should be smooth sailing from there.”

“The evidence I provided?”

“Yeah, the texts, missed calls, I think there was a voicemail or two in there…”

“Of course, how could I forget?” She hadn’t forgotten because it wasn’t her who sent it. But she wasn’t about to tell her lawyer that. “Well, thanks for everything, Larma. I don’t know how I’m going to repay you.”

“Please, getting to bring suit against Ben fucking Solo makes us even. Hell, I might even owe you.”

Rey laughed. “Let’s call it even. Bye, Larma.”

“Bye, Rey.”

She hit end. Looking up at Poe’s imploring eyes, she found herself a bit speechless. 

“Well?” he asked, eager for news.

She looked down at her phone and back to Poe, still unable to grasp what just happened. “Ben withdrew his claims, and we’re suing about the revenge porn blackmail and requesting full custody. It’s over. It’s all over.”

It took a few seconds for that to sink in. Then: 

“Holy shit!” he said, taking her in his arms and lifting her off her feet for a spin. “That’s great news!”

“What’s great news?” 

It was Deacon who asked the question, but two sets of little brown eyes were watching every move they made. Right. They weren’t alone.

Rey stepped in before Poe could say anything. “That we’re hoping to get out of here soon. Just waiting for the final word from the doctor.”

Bea’s eyes narrowed at them. “We knew that. I really don’t think it warrants that display.”

Rey struggled to keep a straight face. These two were certainly going to keep them on their toes. “You know, you’re right. I’m just gonna step out and see how close we are,” she said, giving Poe A Look before stepping into the hall.

Leia answered on the first ring. 

“Are you guys home already? We wanted to stop by with gifts for the kids.”

It still felt a little surreal how quickly Leia and Han had absorbed Poe and Bea (and by extension, Kes) into the family. An impromptu engagement party was scheduled for later in the week, and Kes had already been added to the family vacation that summer.

“Not quite yet,” answered Rey, checking to make sure no little ears were listening. But when she looked into the room, she found Poe next to the bed distracting them. Good man. “And that’s not what I’m calling about. Ben dropped all the charges.”

Leia’s voice was high when she answered, “Oh, really,” dragging the words out to feign surprise. She wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Yes, really. What did you do?”

“Nothing illegal, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I wasn’t, but now I’m a little more worried.”

Leia chuckled into the phone. “Listen, I made some calls, I may have screenshotted a couple of things on your phone…”

“Leia!”

“Oh, it’s Leia when you’re mad at me, I get it now.” She laughed. “Like I said, I made a couple calls, sent a few texts to myself from your phone, and possibly let slip to my son that unless those stolen negatives were forfeited immediately I’d be taking a long hard look at my will.”

“Jesus, isn’t that blackmail? Aren’t you worried about the firm coming after us?”

“Oh, Ben’s no longer employed by the firm. Seems my former partners weren’t keen on having a man of such poor moral standing associated with them.” Rey could hear the smile in her voice. “And they say lawyers have no moral compass.”

Rey couldn’t believe her ears. Not only had Leia helped her win the court case, but she’d somehow gotten the negatives back and managed to land a blow to Ben. “I don’t know how to thank you. But, I really don’t want to come between you and your son.”

“Rey, please listen to me. My son came between my son and I. I will love him until the day I die, but I’m not going to stand by and watch him ruin lives for sport. And I certainly will not allow him to treat my grandson and daughter like that.” Her voice had taken on that edge that indicated she meant business. “So no, dear, you did not come between me and my son. He came between you and me.”

Rey took in a shaky breath. “So it’s really over?”

“Yes. Now go get that boy discharged and we’ll meet you at the house.” Never one for unnecessary goodbyes, Leia clicked off. Huh, Rey never realized that she did the same thing.

Looking up, she found herself face to face with Deacon’s doctor. She quickly wiped her eyes. “Dr. Bridger.”

“Rey,” he said, a small smile on his face. He’d been in every day to check on Deacon and make sure there was no infection. Now, he held the magic papers. He gestured toward the door. “After you.”

He followed Rey into the room, raising his voice to be heard over the giggles within. “I heard a rumor that someone was going home today.”

Deacon perked up at that. “Really?”

“Really.” He tapped away at his tablet. “I’m seeing clear bloodwork, no infections. The scans look amazing. You already pooped.” That earned him a giggle from both Deacon and Bea. “So as soon as I can take a peek at that incision, we should be good to go.”

There was zero hesitation as Deacon flopped onto his back and lifted the gown. Thank god he was wearing shorts.

The incision was pink against Deacon’s pale skin, with neat black stitches stretching from just below his belly button and disappearing in his shorts. Thank god the bruising had faded. The first time she’d seen it, she nearly passed out. And Rey still couldn’t believe how quickly he seemed to recover, the skin knitting itself in barely any time at all. The perks of youth, she supposed. 

Dr. Bridger palpated his abdomen, examined both the cut and the remaining stitches, and made one final note on the tablet before declaring, “Everything looks good. I have to say, I really think I’ve outdone myself here. That is one fine looking scar.”

“So I can go home?” Deacon gave him his best puppy dog eyes, but that didn’t seem to matter either way.

“Yup. We’ll see you back in a couple weeks to get those stitches out, but you should be home free.” He turned to Rey and Poe when the kids started cheering. “Easy does it for the next couple weeks. Nothing strenuous. We’ll reassess at the next appointment. You hear that Deacon? I’m prescribing lots of couch time and video games.” 

Another cheer from the younger crowd. Good god, it was going to be a madhouse with them all under one roof. Poe’s expression seemed to mirror those thoughts.

“I will let Nurse Wren know that you’re ready to go, and she’ll get you a copy of the discharge papers.” He held out a hand for Rey to shake. “It was a pleasure to meet you and your family, Rey. Though I know you’d be happier for never having seen my face.”

She laughed, all smiles now that the worst had passed. “You aren’t wrong there. But thank you for taking such good care of Deacon.”

“It was nothing. And I’ll see you all in a couple weeks.”

Things moved quickly from there, with Sabine bringing by the official papers and a wheelchair, then leading the parade to where Poe had pulled the car around. She gave Deacon a huge hug before helping him out of the chair and into the car. After Rey had thanked her, profusely, for all her help over the last week, they were off, headed to Rey’s for what would be their first night all under one roof.

When they pulled up, Kes and the Solos were waiting for them with pizza and balloons and gifts for the kids. There was almost too much joy to contain under one roof as they sat down to their first meal as a family, everyone laughing and talking over each other and passing pizza.

Amidst the chaos, Rey looked up to find Poe watching her, a blinding smile on his face.

“What?” she asked, taking his hand under the table. It still felt weird to have PDA in front of the kids, but she supposed they’d all have to get used to it.

“It just makes me so happy to see you this happy.”

She looked down, trying to hide her own smile. 

Later, once the grandparents were gone and the kids were in bed, Rey came across a folder on the counter labeled “blossom” in Poe’s handwriting.

“Hey, what’s this?” she asked, holding it up for Poe to see.

Inexplicably, he blushed. “Oh, just some work stuff that never went anywhere.”

“Can I look?”

He only looked a little nervous when he answered, “Yeah, sure.”

Rey opened the folder and her heart stopped dead in her chest. 

It was her, tattoos and all, spread across every page. She was some sort of a fairy, with glistening wings peeking out from behind her inked shoulders, on an adventure to teach people to love their differences. 

“Uh, you’re really quiet over there.” He sounded nervous as he inched his way over to where she stood.

“It’s me.” Rey didn’t bother to keep the awe out of her voice.

Poe rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “Um. Yeah.”

She couldn’t look away. “It’s beautiful.”

“Only because you’re beautiful.”

Coming from anyone else, Rey would have dismissed it as a cheesy line. But coming from Poe, she felt an unexpected heat low in her gut. “So what happened with it?”

“Uh, we hit a bit of a snag with a release so I shelved it.”

“What kind of a release?”

“One for your likeness. But I figured with all the insanity around the portrait, you wouldn’t-”

“Where is it?”

His brow crinkled. “Where is what?”

“The release.”

“Uh, I think it’s…” he trailed off, coming over to dig through the folder. “Here.” 

She didn’t even hesitate before grabbing a pen off the counter and adding her signature.

“Whoa, don’t you want to think about it?”

By way of answer, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. 

It was a week later when that bubble threatened to burst.

Bea’s room had been painted, and Deacon’s upgraded, courtesy of Poe’s artwork. The new bedroom furniture had arrived. And they’d finally gotten all of Poe and Bea’s stuff out of storage and were now diligently unpacking boxes. Today’s focus: the master suite.

Poe poked his head out of the bathroom. “So do I get any cabinet space whatsoever?” 

Her cheeks heated. In the nearly two years since Ben moved out, she had sort of taken over the bathroom. It was amazing how quickly one face cream turned to three. “Yeah, just pick a sink and move the stuff out. I’ll deal with it later.” She went back to unloading his shoes. For someone who she’d only ever seen in a pair of scuffed up old boots or running shoes, he sure had a lot.

“Good lord, how many boxes of tampons does one woman need?”

She laughed. Spoken like a man. “A lot. And I buy them in bulk at Costco.”

“Well you must have just made a trip, because they’re everywhere.”

Rey rolled her eyes. “No. I haven’t been since…” she trailed off as she came to an uneasy realization.

No, no, no. She started to panic as she did the math once, twice, three times.

“Rey?” Poe stuck his head out of the bathroom again, this time finding her frozen on the floor. “Everything ok out here? I swear I didn’t mean it about the tampons.”

“January.”

Poe continued to stare at her, obviously confused. “Uh, what about January?”

“That was the last time I bought tampons,” she said, her voice even, measured. It almost felt like someone else was speaking. “Because that’s the last time I had my period.”

Across the room, he blinked at her. “Oh.” And then, _“Oh.”_

“Yeah.”

He crossed the room to sit down next to her on the floor. “Do you think you’re…” 

Well if he couldn’t say the word, they might very well be screwed. “Pregnant? I don’t know. It could just be stress. The job, everything with Ben, Deacon’s emergency. I just don’t know.”

Poe, always the fixer, jumped to action. “Ok, well there’s an easy way to find out. I’ll go to the store, grab a test, and then we’ll know.” He was distracted, almost like he was talking to himself and not here. “I’ll be right back.”

The fifteen minutes it took him to come back were some of the longest of her life. She sat on the edge of her bed ( _their bed_ , she reminded herself), simply staring into space. Numb. 

They were so careful. Always had been. Rey was not one to make the same mistakes twice when it came to birth control. She racked her brain, trying to figure out how she’d missed this.

She’d been so tired these past few months. Though that could easily be explained by the job and the sneaking around and the drama. Then there was when she got sick at Disney without even riding anything. But again she’d dismissed it as either stress or the heat. And don’t even get her started on all the crying she’d been doing lately.

A scream from down the hall drew her out of her own rapidly spiralling thoughts.

She got up to investigate, only to find Dio and Bea laughing as they played video games on Dio’s bed. They’d treated this week like one giant slumber party, the two getting on like a house on fire. There would be fights and tears and all of that at some point, she was sure, but watching them here and now sent something fluttering through her chest. Tears pricked at her eyes.

Naturally, her mind went to that new possibility, the one that could be growing in her right that moment. Individually, their kids were so great that she struggled to wrap her head around what one who was a mix of her and Poe would be like. Amazing, surely. 

That’s where Poe found her when he returned.

“Everything ok?”

She smiled, embarrassingly misty eyed. “Yeah. Look.”

He did just that, a soft smile touching his lips as he watched the scene unfold within.

“How long do we think this will last?” he murmured, trying not to draw the kids’ attention.

“Is it naive to hope forever?”

“Probably.” He leaned over and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “You ready?” he asked, holding up a plastic bag.

“As I’ll ever be.”

So she followed him to their room, peed on the stick, flipped it over so they wouldn’t be tempted, and set a timer for three minutes. And then they waited. 

Rey took her earlier statement back. These were the longest minutes of her life.

“So,” said Poe as they stood around the bathroom counter trying not to stare at the time ticking down. “How are you feeling about all this?”

Well wasn’t that the question of the hour. There was almost too much going through her head to pick just one. So, she deflected. “I should be asking you that.”

“I don’t know.” He took a step toward her, taking one of her hands. “Scared, nervous, excited.”

“You’re excited about our possible unplanned pregnancy?”

He chuckled, bringing her closer. “Listen, I know we only talked about it in the abstract, but we both said we wanted another kid at some point.”

“Yeah, in a couple years, when the time was right.”

“And what if the right time is now?” Like everything, he said that like it was so easy. “Yeah, we didn’t exactly plan it, and the timing could be better, but we’re engaged, starting our blended family. What’s one more?”

Rey laughed, letting herself melt into his arms. ‘Well when you put it like that.”

“Hey, I will take your lead on whatever you want to do here. But you still haven’t answered my question. How are you feeling about all this?”

“I don’t know. Terrified? I mean, we moved in together like a week ago. A week ago, our kids were only children. Now we’re going to spring another new sibling on them?” It felt good to voice the concerns that had been rattling around her head since she realized how late she was. But there was no denying the feeling that had been growing since watching their kids play. “Maybe a little excited, too. I mean, we make pretty great kids.”

Poe’s grin went wide. “We really do.”

The alarm on her phone went off.

“You ready?” asked Poe, his eyes warm and bright in the bathroom lights.

Rey took a deep breath. For the first time since all this started, she did feel ready. To face whatever came their way. To be together. To find out whether or not their lives were about to change forever. Again.

Rey took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

She flipped over the test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger?
> 
> We tie up all the loose ends in a little epilogue type chapter next week. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think in the comments.


	20. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look at the Dameron family through the next few years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter is here! Hope you enjoy!

Daisy Bey Dameron came barrelling into the world on Halloween morning, all chubby cheeks and soft blonde curls.

After her rather abrupt entrance via C-section, she spent her early days surrounded by her adoring fans, people practically lining up at the door to show her a little love. In fact, Rey would have sworn that there wasn’t a single moment that first day that she didn’t spend snug in someone’s arms. Even Dr. Bridger and Sabine dropped by offer their congratulations, hearing the good news from a colleague. But while the outpouring of love was amazing, Rey’s favorite moments had come early on, when Poe brought Deacon and Bea to meet their sister.

There had been quite the betting pool in the Dameron house on whether Baby Dameron was a boy or a girl, with the last vote before labor coming up 3 to 1 for a girl. And really, it was 4 to 0 since Rey only voted boy because everyone else had said girl. But she had a feeling.

Poe had been adamant through her entire pregnancy that it was a girl, not wavering for a moment. It had been magical having a partner that was there for it all, every doctor’s appointment, the late night cravings, the even later night insomnia. He’d spent hours talking to her belly and getting little kicks in return. 

“A soccer star, like her sister,” he’d say every time. 

And Rey would push back, “Or  _ his _ sister,” even though she had the same feeling as he did. It was a girl this time, for sure.

And here she was, all 6 pounds, 7 ounces of her. Upon seeing her for the first time, Bea and Deacon let out a cheer.

Which of course, scared the shit out of their new sister. 

“What did we talk about indoor voices?” he said as Rey tried to soothe the fussing baby. “Remember, she has little ears that aren’t used to big sounds.”

Solemnly, the kids stepped forward. 

“Come here, guys,” said Rey, holding out her free hand. “Meet your sister, Daisy Bey.”

“She’s so tiny!” whispered Bea, gingerly climbing on to the bed. 

Deacon joined her a second later. “And she had my nose!”

“And my curls!”

Rey’s eyes connected with Poe’s over the kids’ heads. There were tears in his eyes as he watched them welcome Daisy into the family, and Rey was hit with the rightness of this once more. Not for the first time this whirlwind year, Rey found herself grateful that she’d given this scruffy, difficult man a chance. He’d changed their lives in all the best ways.

The following October, Rey waited at the end of a long aisle with Han, wearing the fanciest dress she’d ever owned. She was nervous, more nervous than she needed to be when she was about to marry the love of her life. 

“You okay there, kid?” asked Han, sensing her restlessness. 

Rey watched as Rose urged the three kids down the aisle, Bea and Deacon each taking one of Daisy’s hands since she wasn’t quite steady on her feet yet. Rey would never admit how many hours she’d spent practicing with the little girl for this very moment. Dear god, she couldn’t wait to see the video.

She turned to Han. “Yeah, just a little nervous.”

“Why?”

She almost laughed. Han certainly wasn’t going to beat around the bush or accept half answers from her.

“Well, this didn’t exactly end well the first time I did it,” she answered honestly. Even as she stood there, she could feel her fight or flight starting to kick in, shifting her weight back and forth in the awful, pinching shoes she’d chosen.

Han leveled her with a look he obviously learned from his wife. “Listen, if you want to run away right now, I’ll drive the getaway car. But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that there’s no comparison between Ben and Poe. Poe’s the real deal.”

“I know.” And she did know it. Poe had spent the last two years proving it to her over and over again. But hearing it from Han had the effect of vanquishing even the most stubborn doubts from the back of her mind. 

Just ahead, Rose started down the aisle and a couple ushers closed the doors behind her. That was their cue.

They took their position right behind the closed doors, waiting patiently for the music to change. 

“Last chance,” said Han, bumping her shoulder with his own. “Are we running or are we walking?”

She laughed just as the music swelled and the doors flew open. There, at the other end of the aisle, she saw Poe in all his glory, looking handsome as she’d ever seen him in the dark tux she’d picked for the occasion. His curls were long but perfectly done, matching the short, neat beard he was rocking these days. And when he smiled at her, eyes crinkling in that adorable way she couldn’t resist, every doubt fell away. This was Poe they were talking about. He was undoubtedly the love of her life. Of course she was going to marry him.

She turned what she hoped was a dazzling smile on Han. “Walking. Definitely walking.”

So they made their way down the aisle, soft whispers greeting her on her way to the altar. She had been expecting it, showing off her arms like she was, especially when most people had never seen her tattoos, but she’d spent the year since Daisy had been born finishing off the tattoos using Poe and Finn’s designs and there was no way she’d ever cover them again.

Poe’s smile grew wider and wider as she made her way to him, Rey focusing on that look of joy and wonder in his eyes to steady her rapidly beating heart. 

Then she was standing next to him, Han shaking his hand before giving Rey a kiss on the cheek and disappearing back into the assembly with Leia and Kes and the kids. Words were said and rings exchanged and then the officiant said the magic words.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Poe didn’t hesitate to do just that, pulling her into a searing kiss that drew more than one wolf whistle from their friends and family. 

“It is my great pleasure to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Poe and Rey Dameron!”

They turned to the congregation for a standing ovation, their families leading the charge. Grabbing the kids, they walked back down the aisle as a family, their guests cheering them every step of the way.

On his ninth birthday, Deacon became a Dameron. 

Deacon had been begging them for what felt like years, no longer wanting to be the only one in the family to not share the name. With Ben completely out of the picture these days, it was deceptively simple, just a few forms and a quick hearing and they were home free.

Of course they threw a giant party in the backyard to honor the occasion, complete with friends and family and one of those giant bouncy houses for the kids. 

“What made you do it now?” asked Finn as they watched Daisy and his little girl, Paige, run around in the backyard.

“Oh, for political reasons,” she said, earning a laugh from Finn. Leia had somehow convinced her to take a more significant role in her burgeoning presidential campaign, so that was her new standard answer for everything. But Finn was one of her oldest friends, and she couldn’t keep the truth from him for long. “Plus, with the newest addition, we didn’t want Deacon to feel like he wasn’t a part of the family.” She patted her still-flat stomach so Finn didn’t miss the meaning.

“Oh my god!” he nearly shouted, drawing the attention of a number of folks around him. He lowered his voice. “I mean, congratulations Peanut!”

Poe chose that moment to sidle over. “I take it you told him the good news.”

“Four kids. Damn man.”

“I know, right?” answered Poe, a shit-eating grin on his face. “But we thought what the hell. One of our kids should be planned.”

Shara Blossom Dameron joined the family on a snowy day in December, completing their family. This time, all the money had been on a boy, and Rey had made out handsomely in the family pool. Only Daisy had agreed with her (and she wasn’t betting), but Rey was pretty sure that was just because she repeated everything Rey said these days. 

“Well Deacon, it looks like we’re officially outnumbered,” said Poe as he brought the kids in to meet their newest sister wearing the “I only make girls” shirt Kes had bought him as a joke.

She was tiny, barely even 6 pounds, and the absolute spitting image of her father with a head full of dark curls and thick lashes no baby had any business having. 

Deacon’s face lit up when he saw her. “I don’t mind. She’s really cute.”

Poe’s face softened. “She really is, isn’t she.”

These days, they were running out of room on the bed for the kids to pile on, but they somehow managed to fit, Rey wincing as she had to shift a little more than her stitches wanted to allow. 

“Ok, let’s give Mom a break. Who wants to hold Shara first?”

It was hours later, after Kes had taken the older kids for the night, when Poe and Rey finally got a moment alone. Well, with Shara, though she was sound asleep and didn’t quite count yet.

“Hey champ, how are you feeling?” asked Poe, taking the chair next to Rey’s bed. 

That was a loaded question. Giving birth always felt a little like being hit with a truck and then immediately forgetting about it when they put your child in your arms for the first time. But it always caught up with you.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired,” she answered honestly. “Is it bad to say I’m so glad we’re done?”

Poe laughed, smoothing her disgustingly sweaty hair off her forehead. Showers weren’t permitted for another 12 hours or so, and she couldn’t wait. “No, because if you asked me to reverse this vasectomy, I’d do it, but I wouldn’t be happy about it.”

Now it was Rey’s turn to laugh. And wince as the ache in her abdomen increased tenfold.

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Nah, I’m not due for another round of meds for twenty minutes.”

“Not that you’re counting.”

Rey smiled. “Not that I’m counting. You could distract me.”

Poe leaned over, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Isn’t that what got us into this situation in the first place?”

“Not like that.” She swatted at him. “At least not for the next six weeks. Just kiss me.”

“Done.” He leaned over and placed his lips on hers, letting the kiss linger. “I love you, Mrs. Dameron.”

“And I love you, Mr. Dameron,” she responded, letting the world drop away for a moment. Even all these years later, Rey couldn’t help but be amazed by her good luck. She’d started with the ultimate frog, and somehow found her prince. 

And she was never looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all she wrote for this one! A huge shout out once again to the crew on the Discord who helped me form this story out of two random pictures I found on Instagram. This somehow went from a pwp one-shot (in my defense it was conceived on a Sinful Sunday) to this nearly 58k monstrosity.
> 
> I genuinely hope you've enjoyed the ride. Let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> And if you enjoy my writing and are looking for something new, keep your eyes open for a new AU coming in the next week or so. Three Nights on Yavin 4. Which answers the question, what if Poe never joined the Resistance? A sneak peek:
> 
> Poe Dameron is not okay.
> 
> Three years after turning down an offer to join the Resistance, Poe is right back where he started: working on his dad’s farm, manning the booth at the farmer’s market, and picking fights he has no hope of winning. 
> 
> When a pretty young rebel falls out of the sky, Poe’s entire world is turned upside down. 
> 
> Rey is everything Poe is not - driven, confident, wholly dedicated to the cause. Or maybe she’s just everything he once wanted to be. 
> 
> While she waits for extraction, Poe gives her a place to hide and she gives him a new perspective on the galaxy, the war, and his place in both. So when Rey leaves and the First Order makes its big move, Poe must decide what’s worth saving.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!


End file.
